One Great Hour

On Tuesday, February 2, Winsor and Boston Latin School welcomed artist and activist Dread Scott to talk with students about the art of protest. The timely meeting, particularly in light of current events and in honor of the start of Black History Month, was a result of a ‘pandemic pivot’ by Winsor history faculty Amy Lieberman, who teaches Winsor’s Art of Protest elective. Typically, the course includes visits to various museums to view pieces studied in class, or that speak to the topic--something the students were unable to do this year. So this fall, after covering the work of Dread Scott, Ms. Lieberman took a new approach. “I decided to just submit an email on his website to see if he would be interested in speaking to the students. It was a digital cold-call of sorts. My students thought I was crazy. And then two days later, his email was in my inbox!”  

A toal of 89 juniors and seniors joined the webinar, and participated in the student-moderated Q&A Panel that followed. “We saw this as a wonderful opportunity for Winsor and Boston Latin students to do a project together,” said Julian Braxton, Winsor’s Director of Community and Inclusion and history faculty. “In this challenging time, to be able to have an experience like this, together, and work together on a project, and hear from such an amazing presenter, is just incredible for the students.” 
 
Angelina Li was among the Winsor students who participated in the panel. Sharing her thoughts on the evening, she said, “Dread Scott brought his experience and knowledge of the Black Lives Matter movement to this incredible presentation. His genuine personality and humility were very inspiring, as he walked us through some details of his childhood. It was truly so exciting to be able to hear about his artistic process, especially since much of his revolutionary art has reached worldwide audiences. I left the meeting having been opened up to a deeper level of understanding of the meanings of some of his work, and the intentions behind them.”  
 
“I couldn't have been more pleased with the event,”  Ms. Lieberman reflected. “Dread Scott spoke with candor and courage from the heart about his commitment to using his voice to fight for social justice.  I think students responded to his authenticity and were able to envision how they could be changemakers in their own worlds. It was such a great example of how students can take what they are learning inside their classrooms and apply it to the real world in impactful and meaningful ways. It was such an inspiring night for all who attended, and it is our hope to coordinate meeting in smaller groups to debrief and keep the conversation going.”
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