“This Time”

In 2018, high school youth from all across the nation joined together for a National school walk-out in response the the Parkland shootings. Unfortunately, our youth at the Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce in East Harlem weren’t allowed to participate because the daily threat of gun violence in their communities made it unsafe for them to congregate outside of their school building.

Instead of backing down, they picked up their pens, flexed their #artivism muscles, and raised their voices to compose “This Time,” an insightful and acerbic song addressing our students’ unique viewpoint on gun violence: an almost everyday threat in their community that never receives the same amount of outrage as when it affects middle-class suburban communities.  Broadway Ambassador and star of Broadway’s Hamilton, Jon Rua, collaborated and performed with our youth as they boldly stood in their grief and rage in a stunning performance for their peers, their families, and the world.