I am Islais: Visions for Environmental Justice Now!

Exhibit Link: https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/4134096/i-am-islais-visions-for-environmental-justice-now

This exhibition is a window into how 4th graders from Malcolm X Academy in Bayview Hunters Point were given a remote platform in the 2020 fall semester, through the creativity of their teacher, Y-PLAN, SF NOMA and SF Planning, to be valued leaders of environmental justice in their community. It is also a model of how college students of architecture, from the California College of the Arts, learned to engage with these 4th graders, to listen to them, and to give a voice to their experience through practical and inspired architectural actions.

The work is organized into three rooms: the focus of the blue room is Clean Water + Air, the orange room is opportunities for Physical Activity and Safety, and the green room is access to Healthy Food. They showcase what is possible, even under extreme circumstances, when we put our trust in students and challenge them to answer hard questions.

Environmental Justice: How can we repair and create a community that is safe, thriving and equitable?

Hosted by CCA Architecture Division