This “discovery of the connection of things” was at the center of an experience shared directly by a group of our eighth grade class and indirectly by the grade as a whole. Last Thursday, we had the pleasure of welcoming First Lady Michelle Obama to the WAT-AAH! “Taking Back the Streets” exhibitition at the New Museum. Prior to attending the event, all of the students contributed to a piece of art the was on display at the exhibition and that was also presented to the First Lady.

Students also had the opportunity to contribute to artist Trey Speegle’s wall-sized mural at the event. As the First Lady commented, “This is so exciting and you are all so cool. You guys are gonna make a huge, huge impact on the health of our nation.” In addition to giving our support to the Drink Up initiative, students were able to see and feel the meaningful connections between the social justice work that the First Lady is engaged in and the social justice work that each eighth grader has been engaged in over the past five months. At the event, student discussed their work around the following issues with the First Lady:

• Corporate Earth: We are working to stop corporate pollution and irresponsibility locally and globally. We want to raise awareness about the climate changes have the potential toimpact significantly life on earth. We are fighting against environmental racism corporate exploitation, working with community grassroots non-profits and international NGO’s to make a difference.
• Girls Like Us: We are fighting to get respect for women in the media. Women and girls are misrepresented in advertisements, commercials, movies, and other media outlets. The media sets unrealistic and unfair standards for girls of our generation. These standards can make girls feel uncomfortable with their bodies, and lower their self esteem. Not many people realize how much the media affects our society, so we are trying to raise awareness. We want to make a change, and empower girls like us.
• Guilty Until Proven Innocent: We are focused on policies that result in wrongful incarceration and policies like Stop and Frisk. The Justice System is flawed, people are sent to jail for crimes they did not commit and Stop and Frisk targets unfairly focuses on men of color. We are working with organizations trying to correct this and have been educating ourselves about the flaws in our justice system.
• LGBTQ: All About Pride: The LGBTQ community has suffered injustice for many years and we are trying to raise awareness and learn as much about the struggles and progress as we can. We have been interviewing numerous organization founders, directors and staff about how they are working to create a safe environment for LGBT youth. 42% of LGBTQ youth say that the community in which they live is not accepting of LGBTQ people.
• Poverty Has No Face: We want to make a visible difference and broadcast the message that there are many types of homeless people, and they are not to be pigeonholed into narrow categories. These misconceptions are harmful because it leads people turning their backs on those who are homeless when we need to be compassionate and helpful towards the less fortunate. In our cuntry, there are over 46 million people below the poverty line. Our goal is to educate people so we can make the end of poverty everyone’s mission.
• Power Of Women Ending Rape: We are focusing on sex trafficking and all acts of sexual violence for our Social Justice Project. As a group, we want to bring to light the epidemic that has been taking away the innocence, respect and identity of women in our society. Many also fail to recognize that it not only happens to women, but it happens to youth as young as 8.
• Sock Out Homelessness: Our social justice group is interested in issues involving homelessness, one of the biggest problems that people in cities throughout the the United States faces. In New York City alone, more than 60,000 people, including more than 22,000 children, experience homelessness each night. What we want to do is address this issue through education and action, to “Sock Out Homelessness”.
• Unthanked Heroes: Our justice group took interest in veterans affairs when it became clear to us that many veterans come home completely alienated and conflicted by war, and aren’t given the health care they need. Our goal is to educate people and spread awareness about how we can better support our veterans who have given so much to our country.
• Young Guns: We are committed to helping rid the United States of gun violence. We are doing this by raising awareness and educating people about this important issue. We are also doing what we can to help support bills and laws that prevent gun violence. We are reaching out to senators and other activists who have the power to positively affect change. We know that there are responsible gun owners in this nation, but we also know that many lives are lost by those who had easy access to guns. As representatives of America’s youth, we feel obligated to protect our future in this fight against gun violence.

As the First Lady commented after inquiring about the work our eighth graders are doing, “You guys are so — you’re on it. I feel, now, comforted to turn the world over to you. Because we’re going to do that, you realize.”

It was truly a memorable experience for all (you can view additional photos and video here and here). As evidenced by their reflections below, this “experiment with the world” allowed our eighth graders to engage in the meaningful “discovery of the connection of things:”

• Julia: I learned a lot about the benefits of drinking water and how messages can be broadcasted through art. It was wonderful not only to see the interpretations of the different artists, but also to hear Ms. Obama speak on the matter of water. Both the artists and Michelle Obama were clearly very passionate about drinking water and all around health.
• Semiramis: I was amazed by how humble and friendly Ms. Obama was.  She not only treated us like friends, but she showed us a huge amount of respect, which I really appreciated.  She not only was a beautiful and amazing person, but she was a person who empowered others, which is a great achievement!  
• Bella: Working with such a famous painter on one of his own pieces really empowered me because it was a way of leaving my mark on that moment, kind of like signing the piece. The most exciting, and inspiring moment though was when Michelle Obama walked into the room. She had such an easy going nature about her that helped us relax, and she was just like any other parent out there: Interested in what we had to say. When she told us she felt comfortable handing the world to us, I felt very proud because it showed that we are doing work for change, and are heading in the right direction. 
• Mei: By participating in this event I got to learn about how even out of our school people are trying to make people more aware about drinking/eating healthy and exercising to keep yourself fit. Also, I learned that by doing this you are spreading awareness about the topic you care about. Attending the event encouraged me to find more ways to spread awareness about the issue of homelessness in NYC and the world.
• Loveday: Michelle Obama is such an important individual and she does such great work. The message of the drink-up campaign is very important, it shows us that even kids can take control of their health. Regarding social justice, our experience helps me to understand the importance of choosing to participate and being an active member of society. I am very grateful to have had this experience.
  
• Lola: I thought that meeting the First Lady was incredible. She was so genuinely interested in what we were doing in school and how we were trying to make a difference. Ms. Obama’s acknowledgement for the work we have been doing made me really feel like we have been making a difference. She was so sweet and was really listening to what we were saying. I have never felt so empowered and had such a desire to make a change as I did when Ms. Obama was speaking to us.

Well said and experienced!