The first (PG) F-word that came to mind was “Female,” but I wanted to go beyond that. After brainstorming, my mentor, Stephanie, and I thought “Fight” would ignite a thrilling story.
Woke
/wōk/ adj.: being aware of the social and political environments regarding all demographics and socioeconomic standings.
A white wall stood in the parking lot of the Museum of the Moving Image, trash blown around with occasional gusts of cold wind.
The white wall now had a camera in its middle. The words HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US were printed above it in bold black letters.
Walking by on a rather glum day, music emanating from the “abandoned” parking lot made me stop and investigate. An abundance of teens danced around one another, forming circles and raising their arms. HE. WILL NOT. DIVIDE. US.
The repetition of these words compelled me to walk over and admire a few feet away. Holding on to my bookbag straps, I pondered who this mysterious “HE” was. A familiar face wearing a red beanie and all denim motioned my friend and me to join the crowd. Not once did he stop chanting.
Drummers beat on white plastic buckets resting on the gray gravel, bringing rhythm to the scene. Students desperately chanted, as if our words could change the glum atmosphere haunting our country.
Walking into the crowd, it hit me. The date was January 20, 2017, a historical day—for worse. It was the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The faces of teenagers from all around the world stunned me, even more so to find that they were all from the two nearby high schools, mine included. As soon as I joined the crowd, we all became one, preaching that no matter who is in office, we will stand our ground and voice what we believe in: unity.
Busy teens scurried around the small area of the parking lot. A girl with radiant skin and a soft smile offered me a flower to place in my hair, to match everyone around.
Possibly the only individual older than eighteen danced inside the circles we formed. He chanted the loudest as he bounced from side to side.
“YEAH, SHIA!” a boy with hair curled as tightly as rings of iron wire screamed.
Oh my God . . . It’s Shia LaBeouf!
HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US was an interactive artwork by Shia LaBeouf and collaborators Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner. It started the day of the inauguration in 2017. Visitors became part of the installation as they repeated the phrase “HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US” for as long as they wished into the security camera.
The following days burst with all of our voices. Our generation was being heard, rain or shine. The rain dropped hard and cold; we all bunched in small clusters under colorful umbrellas. The movement in our bodies never stopped, always demanding change. No, I don’t mean change of POTUS, which we would all love, but change in society—acceptance of all people as what they were, people.
Soon enough, Shia left the scene, left New York. The crowd’s vitality depleted consistently. We’d then all walk by and think of the memories we shared, music, unity, love, and life.
Until, on February 10, 2017, the museum abandoned the project. The camera vanished, the words were simply painted over with more white paint. It was as if all our hard work and efforts were never exerted. Our footprint was erased. Days, weeks, and months passed by, everyone seemed to have forgotten those two weeks. Truly, that was unfair to the experience and all it had provided us with was a safe space where we shared a belief . . . Trump sucks big-time! But it also offered a glimmer of hope. In the sense that this generation—our generation—has so much more to give, and we should never be written off as dumb technology-absorbed kids.
It was once more a white wall that stood in the parking lot of the Museum of the Moving Image. Occasionally the gusts of wind reminded us all of our exuberant cries yearning for change.