During
the past five years, CRLS students in the RSTA Commercial Design
program have been utilizing their design skills to take a stand against
discrimination. The Anti-Discrimination Awareness Poster Campaign offers
Commercial Design students the opportunity to use their design skills
to create public statements with the express intention of promoting
diversity and ending discrimination.
During this project students use design as a mechanism for social
change as they make public statements against a type of discrimination
in the form of a poster. The goal of this project is for students to
become self-reflective around the ways discrimination permeates our
society. By finding creative design solutions students will begin to
identify ways to help combat discrimination.
The RSTA Commercial Design program has been creating
Anti-Discrimination Awareness posters with the intention of promoting
diversity and ending discrimination for the past five years.
Unfortunately, funding had not been available for the dissemination of
these posters throughout Cambridge until now. Last year, Commercial
Design teacher, Michele Watson Maxwell submitted a grant proposal to the
Friends of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School (FOCRLS) Faculty
grant review committee. The grant was awarded the maximum funding
available and students began preparations for disseminating these
semi-permanent displays (which include a set of 15 posters) throughout
the elementary schools, City Hall, the High School Extension School, and
the Superintendent’s office.
The
$1000 FOCRLS Faculty Grant both energized and enhanced the existing
curriculum by continuing to challenge and engage students in higher
level thinking around social design problems. By having the Commercial
Design students disseminate the posters throughout Cambridge, students
were able to see first had the impact that their Anti-Discrimination
posters have upon their schools, community, and city.
Recently, with the help and organization skills of Melody Brazo
(Welcoming Schools Cambridge School Climate Coordinator, Citywide LGBT
Family Liaison Cambridge Public Schools) and the support of Dr. Michael
Ananis (RSTA Executive Director) students completed the first three
school site installations: at the Cambridgeport School, the Baldwin
School, and the Fletcher/Maynard Academy. The plans are to complete the
rest of the installations throughout the city this fall.