Students, educators and local artists combined talent and creativity Feb 26 to challenge the media’s negative influence on youth at Balboa High School.
Through spoken word, poetry and music, participants at the student-organized “Our Media Our Message” event were given a platform to voice their opinions about the impact that the media has on issues such as sexism, patriarchy, homophobia, racism and age discrimination.
“Students are influenced by the media—by how they dress, act and look,” said Balboa High student Oscar Sanchez about the media’s potential to shape youth’s behavior and consumption habits. “Corporations are trying to influence us in a negative way. We should stand up as a community and unite.”
Balboa High School educator Anthony “Pele” Navarro kicked off the event by encouraging students to chant in unison to a Filipino unity clap, “Isang Bagsak (“one fall, one rise”), setting the tone for a sense of community.
Bay Area music artists Dregs One, Ruby Ibarra, Power Struggle and Dirty Boots performed songs centered around the social issues discussed.
In her spoken-word poem “Beyoutiful,” hip-hop artist Ruby Ibarra addressed the media’s influence on society’s standard of beauty: “Because who cares about the frame that hold my diploma, or the train of thoughts that hold up my persona … It’s the body’s frame, trained by the way of society’s boner.”
The free event was open to all ages and attended by about 300 people. Performers included high school students from Balboa, Burton and San Leandro High schools, as well as poetry from members of “Youth Speaks”—a local organization that became the first to host a teen poetry slam in San Francisco and works to empower youth through writing, poetry and performance.
The event concluded with an open-mic session, leaving many students hopeful that raising awareness will not only challenge, but change the messages projected onto youth by the media.