I teach a high school elective that sounds deceptively mundane: Critical Thinking. However, the projects launched highlight my passion for intersectionality; art and research meet to provoke a conversation. 

 

One of the groups from the first quarter chose ‘Human Trafficking’ as their project. In the beginning we discussed the many issues that would arise while researching. Though one of the goals of the course should be to raise awareness, it should not beat the undue mental distress of the student. I told the students that at any point the project becomes too overwhelming, they need to stop and immediately talk to me or a guidance counselor to decompress and not sit in that kind of darkness.

 

By the end of the first quarter, the students finished their project through the use of papier-mâché, posters, torn clothes, and boxes. They presented organ trafficking by creating different organs and putting them on display in food boxes, to demonstrate the concept of buying organs on the black market. The torn clothes were to represent people kidnapping and pulled into human trafficking and their posters focused on the silencing of the victims. The original plan was to make the installation for the school Winter Art Festival, but it got canceled due to the weather. When we returned from the holidays, and the office mentioned that the school would have a day about human trafficking, I tasked the students from my elective to organize their installation. The objectives were to learn planning skills, hands-on art installation, and interpersonal skills with negotiations and logic. They also had to learn how to present the information so that it would come across without being sensationally gory and violent (aka journalism responsibility).

 

The installation was one day, and the student body was surprised at the amount of work the students from my elective did. It also started a conversation among the student body and academic staff. Teachers mentioned that it was the first that a heavy topic like human trafficking was presented in such a fashion in the school. Administration in the past dismissed ideas about presenting social issues as they believed that it would be triggering or very intense for the students. From my stance, the many topics seemingly controversial or heavy come across as open secrets. Many students knew about human trafficking because Miami, particularly areas around the airport, is notorious for having high rates of trafficking passing through. For the student body, it was a relief for them to have this conversation as to how the presentation struck them. If students are already learning about inappropriate topics alone, then with proper guidance, they should be able to learn about heavier topics with the appropriate scaffolding in place.