Rachel Schain is a proud Jew, a singer-songwriter, an early childhood music teacher, and mother of an autistic child in Wilmington, Delaware. She brings these various perspectives, and a lot of kindness and humor, to her advocacy, teaching, and creative life.

Brighten up your day by listening to Rachel's rockin, upbeat, unique songs: https://rachelschain.com/

Rachel's Call to Action: Support the Anti-Defamation League: https://www.adl.org/

Apocalypse - it's not the end.  Now more than ever, we need imagination. Join Li Sumpter, an expert on myth-making and the apocalypse, as we journey into the possibilities of re-imagining now through the lens of Afrofuturism.

https://www.mythmediastudios.com/
IG: @mythmediastudios

Li Sumpter is a mythologist and multidisciplinary artist based in Philly. She employs trauma-informed strategies of world-building, D.I.Y media and gameplay to cultivate eco-awareness and community action around the “art of survival”.  Li’s artistic practice and collaborative design initiatives address existential issues of diverse ecologies through speculative tools and sustainability projects that illuminate symbols and patterns of change.  Li teaches curatorial studies and Afrofuturism at Moore College of Art and Design, directs the Escape Artist Initiative, and is a core member of the North Philly Peace Park, Health Ecologies Lab at Slought/UPENN, and The Truth Telling Project and Common Field national collectives.

What is it like spending the first 14 years of your education at a small, predominantly white private school, and then majoring in film studies at Howard?  In this student voice episode, Leslie Butler shares with us her perspective of film, the arts, and education across this broad spectrum of experience.  Teachers, tune in for some hard truths and also lots of practical information about how to support the education of brilliant future leaders like Leslie.

Melani N. Douglass is a mother, artist, and Director of public programs at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  Also an arts educator, Melani founded the Family Arts Museum on the principle that the most important and often under-appreciated fine arts are those of creating home, family, and community.

The Family Arts Museum
IG: @melani.naim
National Museum of Women in the Arts

Erika Gutierrez is a community organizer and a powerful advocate for immigrant rights and education. She has worked with multiple organizations such as Delaware CAN, Safe Communities, and campaigns to support progressive candidates.

https://delawarecan.org/
Safe Communities Coalition Delaware

TAHIRA is a storyteller, musician, teaching artist and member of the National Association of Black Storytellers.  She recently released her first music single, Freedom Call, which you’ll hear a taste of in this episode. 

Visit TAHIRA's website at https://tahiraproductions.com/
Purchase or stream "Freedom Call" by Delaware Artists for Change at Distrokid
National Association of Black Storytellers: https://www.nabsinc.org/

Additional resources referenced in this episode:
Dr. Obádélé Kambon, University of Ghana: abibitumi.com
Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp
Dr. Bettina Love's The Abolitionist Teaching Network
Kehinde Wiley, "Napolean Leading the Army over the Alps" by Dr. Gayle Clemans

Sarah McBride believes that "politics is the art of transforming the impossible into reality."  In this episode she reflects on how her arts education informed her career in politics, trans representation in the arts and media, and why politics must focus on centering the most marginalized.

Under the Obama Administration, Sarah McBride became the first trans woman to intern at the White House, and in 2016 was the first trans person to speak at the Democratic National Convention.  If elected in November 2020, she will become the first trans person to hold a state senate seat in Delaware, and the U.S.  Sarah is a graduate of Cab Calloway School of the Arts and an advocate for arts education.

This episode was recorded on Lenape lands, introduced by Tzadik Barak, with theme music by Sam Nobles.

How can schools do a better job of graduating culturally competent students?  2020 High School graduate Elijah Jones refers to the cyclical inheritance of racism as a "hamster wheel."  Join us as we wonder, how do we get off?  In this episode, we discuss Elijah's training in theater and his engagement with speech writing.  Elijah proposes that social media is an art form that can be used to disrupt, and that teachers should "put the books down" and use student interactions as learning experiences, calling out racism in the classroom. 

As a 9th grader, Elijah Jones gave a TEDx talk on segregation and cultural competency in education.  As an 11th grader, Elijah published an OpEd about his experience as a Black student in a predominantly white private school, where the n-word was used in class discussion.  Elijah plans to pursue a career as a civil rights lawyer. 

The Art of Liberation is a podcast that re-imagines our society through the arts.  Join us for our premiere on September 1st by subscribing now!