NEW BRUNSWICK – Students from 11 district schools participated in “A Day of Understanding” on Friday.
Connected to the social justice public art initiative Windows of Understanding (WOU), the day afforded the young artists, from elementary level to high school, the opportunity to express to the community how they feel about today’s social justice issues including climate change, food insecurity , policy and more.
WOU has worked with the district since 2017.
This year, for WOU’s fifth anniversary, student artwork is on display at the American Hungarian Foundation from March 8-April 1. While WOU historically commences on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and runs through the end of February, this will be the first year the artwork will be extended through April.
The artwork will be supported with a series of workshops from March to May including “Examining Social Media Inter-generationally” led by a faculty representative of The Rutgers School of Communication & Information, “Climate Change in our Midst” led by Rutgers Climate Institute, and a Gun Violence prevention workshop led by Moms Demand Action.
“A Day of Understanding” is a new event taking place for this year.
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“Our students have always had a strong voice through Windows of Understanding,” said Jennifer Sevilla, vice president of the district’s Board of Education and co-Founder of WOU.
“And this year, under the direction of Dr. Aubrey Johnson, superintendent of New Brunswick Public Schools, the students and educators are taking us one step further with ‘A Day of Understanding,’ demonstrating the true impact that social issues like Food Insecurity, Public Health, Civic Engagement and Climate Change have on our students and how they can guide us to make the necessary changes. I truly believe it will be our students that transform our world into a positive place. “
For “A Day of Understanding,” artwork from students in all of the districts’ public schools, including eight elementary, one middle school and two high schools, will be displayed in corridors of the participating schools.
Influenced by their immersive Social Emotional Learning (SEL) workshops centered around National SEL Day on March 11, the artwork reflects conversations students have had with educators about issues such as climate change and food insecurity, prompted by questions submitted by local organizations such as The NAACP New Brunswick Area Chapter, REPLENISH and Elijah’s Promise and the Citizens Campaign.
“We are proud of our partnership with Windows of Understanding, which provides our students a framework to develop a critical consciousness, understand the world as they see fit and take action around social injustices,” Johnson said.
For more information on WOU, including a complete list of 2022 featured organizations, participating storefronts, and a calendar of free events, go to www.WindowsOfUnderstanding.org.
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin.