An Afternoon of Action & an exclusive interview with Art Hoe Collective curator, Gabrielle Richardson!

Entering the American Apparel store in West Philly on the last Wednesday of July was like entering a hub of youth power and creativity. The room was filled with discussion, laughter and the awkward, but happy chatter of people making conversation with strangers. But in a way, this diverse group of strangers were all familiar, united in an interest and investment in youth activism.

This was the Afternoon of Action, an event sponsored by American Apparel for young people to engage in politics and activism, in response to the DNC being in Philadelphia. The event was composed of sign-making, mass snow-cone consumption, screen printing T-shirts, jamming out to great music and listening to an engaging and diverse panel. 

    Mary A. - 26, Aubrey S. - 18
    Lower images from American Apparel’s Snapchat

    The message printed on the T-shirts. 

  Screen printing a t shirt
 Jared J. - 19, Michael W. - 19

There was great music, provided by HarmonyTividad, whose singing was a highlight of the event and Wassup Gina. There was not a person in the room who did not enjoy her DJ skills.

Gabrielle Richardson organized this wonderful event and chaired the panel with thoughtful questions. The speakers brought their experiences as members of marginalized group and put forward some really interesting and important ideas, particularly athe conversation about the implications of the event being held in American Apparel. You should definitely check it out:

You may need to turn up the sound to the loudest it will go.

Gabby is also one of the founders of the ArtHoe Collective, which is providing a brilliant creative space for queer people of colour. I spoke to her about politics and the importance of youth activism.

How are you feeling now that Hillary has officially secured the Democratic Nomination?

I think that Hillary, although she is a bit more left than Donald Trump and the Conservatives, overall her policies are not meant to help the working class, the poor, black people - marginalized people at all.

How do you feel youth activism will continue to develop now that Hillary is the nominee - what direction do you think it will go in?

I think youth activism is actually really changing America and our policies because the youth, they’re the next generation and they are dissatisfied with how things are going and they know that their future is not looking bright because of the people in power. And so they’roe the ones who are gunning for change because the word really is theirs. I think we have youth activism now especially with the internet because we now have a platform. Before, children were told to be seen and not heard. Now, we have so many platforms outside of our family, outside of the people we are just in contact with immediately. We now have a platform to speak to everyone.

So do you think it’s going to develop more now?

I think it’s developing right now - even through this workshop.

Do you feel there is more power in youth activism than in other age-groups activism? Why?

Definitely! Older people are afraid of the youth. Old people are afraid of the youth, because they know that when we outnumber them and we are tired [of the current system]. We’re young, we’re tired and we have more energy. We are more empathetic - towards others and towards each other. We feel more. We want to connect. And we have access to connect, through the internet, through instagram, through facebook, And I do think that youth activism is the strongest activism. I think youth activism to a certain extent might even be… well, not the only activism because their are older people who are activists, but we’re the ones that are in the streets.

How does your own identity and background affect and influence your activism?

I’m black and I’m queer and I’m also a woman. Black women are just treated like shit on all fronts, women are treated like shit, black people are treated like shit, queer people are treated like shit. . We are being murdered and going unacknowledged for our pain. I think that adds to my activism and forms my politics about who I am, because these things affect me. I feel like being on one of the lowest rungs, or one of the lowest rungs, gives me empathy for those who also suffer, in different ways to me, because I have gone through my suffering and I can see other people going through their suffering and I know how it feels. I can see people across all states of marginalisation and say ‘I feel this. I feel for you’.

So do you feel like the Art Hoe Collective is helping people of colour to connect with other people of colour?

Yes, definitely! I actually was talking to someone who emailed me from Refinery29 and they were like  “Hey, we were doing an article on black businesses you didn’t know about” and she said she found out one of the businesses from the Art Hoe Collective, because we have a day where we promo businesses owned by people of colour and we promo coalitions and groups and collectives by other people of colour. People have actually said they found other people and made connections via Art Hoe.

Who or what inspires your activism?

I get inspiration for my activism from my peers, my friends and those who stand next to me in the fight. Sometimes when I feel it’s hard to continue fighting for myself and fighting for others, I realize that I’m not alone. It’s not a battle into the night, alone with a candle, it’s  a battle with all my friends and my allies.

Gabby is @fridacashflow on Instagram and the Art Hoe Collective is @arthoecollective

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Text: Vita Pearl

Visuals: Vita Pearl, SundayLosAngeles