The "We Will Make You Hear Us" Protest
Founder and Proprietor of First Fire Studios Joseph Perez-Caputo is more well known for his activism than his acting. Activism and the arts, however, go hand and hand.
Whether it’s Kendrick Sampson with his non-profit BLD PWR,
Lucy Lawless and her legendary eco-activism,
Singer and musician John Legend advocating for prison reform and racial inequality,
Michael B. Jordan and his work with LupusLA,
Michael J. Fox’s work with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research,
Kerry Washington’s iconic advocacy for women and voting rights,
Angelina Jolie United Nations Refugee Agency,
Gary Sinise helping veterans through the Gary Sinise Foundation,
Emma Watson’s inspiring work with UN Women,
Leonardo DiCaprio fighting for the environment with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation...and Johnny Cash, who notoriously wore black as a rebellious flag and crash course in class consciousness...those in the public eye have a duty to the public.
These are just a few actor-activists amid hundreds of others, too many to utter here.
Activism is at the heart of storytelling. Characters change and grow to overcome conflict. So do cultures. It’s a natural thing for artists and activists to be one and the same. It’s important to use one’s position as a storyteller in society for respect, advocacy, equality, and truth.
Therefore, the message is here in the First Fire Studios page rather than on a separate website, as a showcase to all artists who might be afraid to mix up their careers with their missions. It’s our duty as artists to serve our communities. Indeed, we have a platform by their support. It’s a privilege to have an audience in the seats. We cannot compartmentalize the uncomfortable or destructive elements of life or the systems we create from our art, without hurting our relationships with ourselves and others.
The message here is unedited and it’s almost identical to what I carried the day of the protest. The only exceptions are firstly, that the sections of Guarantee 16 and Guarantee 18 are depicted here, while they were not in the version of the document I printed and carried on the day of the protest, through my own clerical error. Secondly, the nomenclature of “chain gang” has been changed to “work study” to be more honest to the original intention of the phrases and for the obvious linguistic and sociopolitical implications that arise if the nomenclature is not fully understood. Thirdly, the 13th Amendment's wording within the 13th Guarantee is adjusted for similar reasons state in the above.
Other sections are not edited, even though they can clearly be improved
Here’s to a peaceful revolution by law that leads to a new Renaissance.
We the People means EVERYONE.
Click the link below to see #whatsinthebinder