Pre-Occupied

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I took a weekend jaunt to NYC to visit Occupy Wall Street. I wanted to pay my respects and see how the birthplace of the movement compared to Occupy Los Angeles. I was hoping I'd meet other teachers in New York and talk with them about what they think can be done to fix the education system.

I reached Zuccotti Park less than 24-hours before the police cleared everyone out. The mood was nothing like the Burning Man-esque hippie gathering depicted by the mass media. It felt solemn, organized. Various groups (Socialists, Anarchists, Libertarians, etc.) had set up information tables distributing literature explaining their viewpoints. The tent city was bustling quietly and protestors engaged in friendly, serious conversation with visitors.

When I arrived, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. It felt weird to take photos like a tourist, and I wasn't planning on pitching a tent and joining the occupiers for the weekend. As I walked around the park with my friends, the answer revealed itself.

insert "the pen is mightier than the sword" reference here

Joshua Boulet is a comics artist from Texas who came to New York to document the occupation with ink and brush. I stopped to admire his work and we talked for a long time. He showed me the beautiful drawings he had been working on for the past few weeks, which were his contribution to the movement. I can't think of a more sincere, relevant way for an artist to participate. Joshua was the only artist I met at Zuccotti Park that day, and it was definitely an auspicious bit of serendipity. He reminded me that I'm on the right track as both artist and educator.

Check out Joshua's versatile work on his website. You can purchase his Occupy prints here. He's also working on a book called Draw Occupy Wall Street that's already over one hundred pages.

I decided to go back to school to become a teacher because I want to be part of the positive change our nation's public education system irrefutably needs. I'm in alignment with the goals, values and ideals of the OWS movement, and support those across the country who have been camping out to help create a unified voice for change. Though most occupiers have been evicted from their protest sites at this point, I'm proud that so many individuals have been invoking their constitutional rights to protest greed and corruption. Those who do it creatively are the most productive, in my opinion.