Media Lab Goes to The Social Justice Exposition

04 May 2011, 12:02 PM by frank

The Social Justice Exposition invites a select group of New York City youth to exhibit their social justice projects one day a week in May at NYU.
Topics ranged from gentrification, food justice, restorative practices in schools, housing rights and bullying. It was great to see
how other young teenagers are bringing awareness to such important issues that not only impact them but the overall community.

The day started at 11:00AM. Many people came to our table and were very interested in our work, asking us what can they can do to access fresh fruits and vegetables. I responded that there are farmers markets in The Bronx where people are able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for a low cost, or they can purchase with their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. I also said that in communities of color where our income limits us we are able to use these EBT cards and have access to healthier food options and not only the glazed donuts, and fried food. I had healthy snacks set out that people could sample, as well as a ball game to encourage people to exercise and be active.

After we screened the film, myself and Joshua Diaz talked about the film and how important it was for us to bring awareness to Diabetes and our community. I asked "How many of you know someone with diabetes?" by a show of hands almost everyone raised their hands. I was astonished and felt that they would understand my point of view. And they did, judges, educators, and activists and all were greatly impacted by our film. After the screening we had many people come up to us and share their experiences on diabetes. We got many people who pledged and decided to take action to prevent diabetes and raise awareness in their homes, communities, and schools.

These are a few pledges people made:

"Continue to educate others about the causes and effects of types 1 and 2 diabetes, and to continue to push for equal access to healthy food options in all neighborhoods"

"Research healthy supermarkets and the proximity of these to low-income neighborhoods and spread the word"

"Eat healthy, exercise daily, take the stairs and walk always"

"Ride my bike more often"

"Keep on doing active things throughout the week"