life is fine: a retrospective
-Teaching Artists: Jackie & Bleu, ¡Pa’lante!-
a note to the reader:
life is fine: a retrospective is a compilation of the work of Black students in the Acting and Performance Poetry classes at the Urban Assembly School of Law and Justice. the namesake of Langston Hughes' poem about survival in the face of impossible odds, "life is fine" seemed a fitting title for circumstances influencing this work by young people in the 2021-22 school year, in the face of civil unrest, anti Blackness, a looming climate crisis, and a pandemic. our classes have mostly consisted of connection, discussion, mutual uncertainty, and a collective want for something new, different, better. young people are not only navigating their coming of age, but are also being tasked with the burden of an expectation of grace that we, as their adult counterparts, are also struggling with practicing in this moment. they are practicing an unprecedented resilience that they shouldn't have to. they deserve our protection, support, and continued commitment to creating a world where they can be children for as long as makes sense to them. we are very proud of them and their work, their kindness, their humor, and their honesty.
