GRADES 9-Adult
If you are finding trouble finding a scheduled time that works for you, we would be happy to accommodate a private group of 3 or more students. Just let us know!
PLEASE SCROLL TO FIND COURSES LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Blackness and Film in the 21st Century
Teacher: Cherokee Washington and Michael Anderson
Grades: 11 - Adult
Day: Friday
Time: 3pm-4:30pm
6 weeks, Starting April 2
$450
Description: This course explores depictions of the multi-faceted Black experience in America through Black films of the 21st century. Through critical visual analysis, rhetorical theories, and examinations of several films by Black visionaries, we will discuss the history, implications of, and underlying meanings hidden within said films. From “Queen and Slim” to “Get Out,” each film and complimentary reading material will highlight a different aspect of the Black American experience (i.e. capitalism, fetishization of the Black body, Black feminism, etc…) that we will discuss and unpack as a class, to better understand Black representation in film. We will start in the era of Spike Lee and end with today’s visual leaders such as Lena Waithe and Jordan Peele.
The Cultural Literacy Course
Teachers: Cherokee Washington & Marcela Washington
Grades: Adult
Day: Tuesdays
Time: 5pm-6:30pm
6 weeks, Start Date March 23
$450
This is a crash course in the ABCs of social justice advocacy and identity politics. Through group discussions, theories, reading assignments, and other material, we will explore concepts that are critical to becoming “woke.” Specifically, this course will cover topics such as intersectionality, allyship, the Core Cultural Identifiers (sex, race, gender identity, age, ability, socio-economic status, immigration status, and religion), systems of oppression, and other relevant concepts. The intentions of this course are to provide students with:
An understanding of the ever-changing terminology (both harmful and useful) that is used to unpack, discuss, and conceptualize social issues (i.e. Anti-Racism, Womxn, Differently Abled, LGBTQ+etc.)
Approaches by which we can actively participate in conversations on race and other identities with confidence, rather than discomfort or fear and build a foundation for engagement, advocacy & civil discourse
A safe space to unlearn, re-learn, learn
Perspective on the relationship between whiteness and anti-Blackness as it relates to today’s movement
A brief, supplemental education that will prepare adults to actively practice anti-racism, cross-cultural allyship, communicate on socio-political issues with others in an informed manner, and gain confidence in partaking in conversations with others (i.e, children, young adults, friends, family members, co-workers, etc) centering identity politics
The Cultural Literacy Course
Teachers: Cherokee Washington & Marcela Washington
Grades: 9-12
Day: Thursdays
Time: 5pm-6:30pm
6 weeks, Start Date TBD
$450
This is a crash course in the ABCs of social justice advocacy and identity politics. Through group discussions, theories, reading assignments, and other material, we will explore concepts that are critical to becoming “woke.” Specifically, this course will cover topics such as intersectionality, allyship, the Core Cultural Identifiers (sex, race, gender identity, age, ability, socio-economic status, immigration status, and religion), systems of oppression, and other relevant concepts. The intentions of this course are to provide students with:
An understanding of the ever-changing terminology (both harmful and useful) that is used to unpack, discuss, and conceptualize social issues (i.e. Anti-Racism, Womxn, Differently Abled, LGBTQ+etc.)
Approaches by which we can actively participate in conversations on race and other identities with confidence, rather than discomfort or fear and build a foundation for engagement, advocacy & civil discourse
A safe space to unlearn, re-learn, learn
Perspective on the relationship between whiteness and anti-Blackness as it relates to today’s movement
A brief, supplemental education that will prepare students to re-enter classrooms within this iteration of the civil rights movement
Friday Flow
Teacher: Ariana Speight
Grades: 9-12 & Beyond
Day: Fridays
Time: 3pm-3:55pm
8 weeks, Start Date TBD
$280
Friday Flow~ In combining two of my creative & movement passions; movement & collaging, my hope is that you receive practices that you can integrate and take with you into your days. Breathing, stretching, moving, and crafting can be grounding forces, in your daily life and are immensely supportive in times of need.
Little Zines, Big IDEAS
Grades: 9-Adults
Day: Wednesdays
Time: 4pm-4:55pm
6 weeks, Start Date TBD
$330
Whatcha mean, what's a zine?* A zine (pronounced ‘zeen’) is a homemade, self-published mini-magazine. Containing both text and image, either found or forged, a zine can be anything: a comic, a how-to guide, a rant, a diary entry, a list, a letter, a story, an interview, an article, even a piece of art. It can be personal or political, simple or complicated, silly or serious, private or shared. Anyone and everyone can make one-including you!
Zine-making is fundamentally about self-expression: you control the content, structure, and distribution of your message. Though this course will cover the history and philosophy of zine-making, you will ultimately learn the basics of articulating your own voice. What is important or interesting to you? How would it feel to share it? How and for whom would you craft it? By the end, you will have several tools - and zines! - to save and share.
*Title of a seminal text on zine making & history (Todd & Watson, Whatcha mean, what's a zine?: the art of making zines and mini comics, 2006).
The Music Industry - An Artist’s Experience
Teacher: Kyle Donald
Grades: 9- Adult
Days: Thursday
Time: 5pm-5:55pm
6 weeks, Start Date TBD
$330
Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, NoName, Chicano Batman, Rosalia, BTS: Do you ever wonder the story and voice behind these artists? In this class, we will explore the Music Industry by looking at different artists, their music, and their stories. This class will take a deep dive into the artist’s narratives and their musical impact through the lens of class, race, gender, and other social standards. We will discuss why and what they are expressing and how it affects and shapes society as a whole.
New Voices: A Podcast Class for Storytellers and Truth Speakers
Teacher: Lauren White
Grades: 7-12
Day: Fridays
Time: 4pm-4:55pm
8 weeks, Start Date TBD
$440
In this class students will work together to critically examine the current political, social and cultural landscape and connect it to their lives and communities. Students will then work in small groups, selecting an issue that is important to them and crafting a story together from a personal and journalistic standpoint. We will then write and record our pieces and assemble them into a podcast.
This class has some tech requirements, a laptop with the ability to record your voice and software (Garageband is fine!) to edit and compress files. Having a USB mic or recording equipment is great but not necessary.
Photography: Old School/New School
Teacher David Washington and Jacob Moss
Grades 9-12 & Beyond
Day: Wednesday
Grades: 9-Adult
Time: 4-4:45
8 weeks, Start Date TBD
$360
This class will compare and teach both film and digital: how they are different and how they over lap. Yesterday’s base with today’s technology. This class will be dynamically taught by one teacher who has 20 plus years of experience in photography and another teacher who just received their Masters in Art for Photography. We will compare, analyze, teach and have fun with this artistic medium.
Photography Plus | Light Changes Everything
Teacher David Washington
Grades 9-Adult
Day: Monday
Time: 3:15pm-4pm
8 weeks, Start Date TBD
$360
This class will reintroduce you to the basics of photography while expanding on and going more depth in film and specifics of the generas of photography. All aspecs of photography will be covered, fashion, sports, journalisitic, food, weddings, etc. Building a portfolio with a clear sense of purpose is an underlying goal of the class.
Photography Basics
Lighting Basics
Indoor vs Outdoor Lighting
Understanding Aperture
Understanding Shutter Speed
Adjusting for shadows
Best time of day to shoot
Adjusting settings on the fly
Power of Perspective - Everybody has a story
Teacher: Kelvin O’Bryant
Grades: 9-12
Day: Tuesday
Times 6pm-6:45pm
8 Weeks, Start Date TBD
$360
History has, historically, been taught from a singular point of view. Leaving generations of children in the dark about the actual experiences of countless groups of people who, in a very big way, shaped the world we live in today. Viewing history from different perspectives not only gives us a more well rounded account of the past, it also deepens our capacity for empathy. Participants will use Howard Zinn's "A Young People's History of the United States" as a springboard into the past. After breaking down the facts of the text, each student will be assigned a group of people (i.e. Women, Indigenous Peoples , Farmers, Immigrants, The LGBTQ+ Community, etc.). After which we will have an open & honest discussion about each group's experience, asking each other specific questions, and sharing ideas about how we can better shape the future to be much more inclusive and understanding.
Slam Poetry: Activate your Voice
Teacher:Kyle Donald
Grades: 9-Adult
Monday
Time: 5:15pm - 6:10pm
6 Weeks, Start Date TBD
$330
This will be an interactive class teaching slam poetry as an art form, as a tool to push for social change and create social awareness, as a way to explore self identity, and to learn different writing techniques to create poetry of our own. We will breakdown different slam pieces, discussing what the poet was trying to express and the tools they used to express them. We will have an open discussion about the content of poems that have to do with racism, sexism, classism, and other social inequalities. We will then go through a series of writing prompts to create poetry of our own and help sharpen our writing/performance skills. No need to have any background in writing or poetry, just an openness and a passion for expression.
What is Justice?
Teacher: Dr. Heather Ashley Hayes
Grades: 9 - Adult
Day: Tuesday
Time: 7pm-8pm
6 weeks, Start Date April 27th
$330
In an era when we are bombarded with messages about how far apart we are from one another, it’s sometimes easiest to understand our world as splintered, even broken. Violence and exclusion aimed at historically marginalized people echo throughout our communities, with everyday consequence for our BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+, disabled, and undocumented neighbors, family, and friends. With this 2021 landscape in mind, this course will spend six weeks asking a fundamental question: what is justice?
We will study and listen to social justice plans and demands throughout history including the Black Panther’s 10 Point Plan for Justice, The Red Nation’s 10 Point Plan to End Violence Against Native Peoples and Nonhuman Relatives, #MeToo’s Vision and Theory for Change, and #BlackLivesMatter’s Seven Demands. Using these calls for concrete advocacy and change as our guide, we will establish an introductory education and set of working practices of anti-racism, intersectional feminism, and more. This will culminate in our work to push beyond the limits of “woke” culture into a sustained presence of long-term co-conspiratorship, understanding approaches and commitments to building just and liberatory communities for all members.