Manav Shah, a student at Wheeler High School, sends along the following information and photos about his work with young refugees in Clarkston, and the “Liberated Voices” initiative he started to address issues they face in adapting to American society.
“As Manav interacted with youth at the refugee enclave in Clarkston, Georgia (called the Ellis Island of South), he realized that they faced an uphill battle during the resettlement process in United States. Manav’s further interactions led him to understand the various xenophobic experiences refugees faced on a daily basis resulting in drug abuse and even violence amongst these youth. To help refugee youth cope with these stressful conditions and combat discrimination, Manav started an initiative called “Liberated Voices” that engages youth in critical conversations regarding identity, racism and discrimination. He uses art as a vehicle of communication, because it is independent of language and literacy, and could be the portal into youth’s minds and what they have witnessed. His workshops features artists like Ai WeiWei and Bansky who have ignited social and racial change in local communities by creating ‘protest art’.
Manav Shah
Amina, a participant of these workshops had lived in the United States for more than 5 years, but she was still very anxious to start high school. Amina and her family had left Somalia after the civil war broke out and were forced to live in refugee camps in Kenya. They were amongst the few who got a chance to move to the United States and have been in living in Clarkston, GA for the past few years. She was mocked at and called names like “penguin” as she would wear a hijab at her middle school. She was very worried that she would not fit in her high school.
Amina has been participating in workshops offered by LiberatedVoices and says that these workshops offer a safe environment for her to engage herself in critical conversations regarding identity, racism and discrimination with other refugee youth. She learned about ‘protest art’ and was able to sketch her own experiences with racism and persecution. Amina was able to explore what constitutes “American” identity, and how to be proud of her culture and religion.
Besides Clarkston, Manav has worked with Yazidi refugees in Lincoln, Nebraska and the Rohingya refugees in Chicago, Illinois, empowering about 500 middle-and-high school refugees and minorities. Manav’s honor comes with a $1,000 prize, which he plans to reinvest in his protest art workshops this summer. He has already been able to expand his workshops in Kenya with about 250 children and is in active conversations with refugee communities in Nepal, Belgium and Iraq. His other experience in race relations includes starting a Diversity Club at his school and an internship with Columbia University for research in refugee policies.
“This is what really motivated me – this almost unbreakable cycle of distress peers my age were facing helped me realize that things needed to change,” Manav said. “I’ve learnt so much and been so inspired by my young mentees! One of the biggest things that’s even applicable to my life is that even the smallest changes can make a huge impact. I’ve realized that everyone can change and re-engage in their communities in good ways! That really goes to anyone – especially high school students who want to get involved with improving race relations within their communities. Youth have the power to create any change they want to see if they are passionate. Just go for it!”
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