Oakland State of Mind

About Me

At Youth Roots, our vision is that youth earn their rightful place in society by rooting themselves in their community as prominent leaders, culture producers, and change agents. They engage in a regular practice of critical examination, production, self-reflection, healing, critique, and love. Equipped with New Media advocacy tools of the 21st century, Youth Roots use a foundation of critical social theory and knowledge of self to act & interact as Street Scholar Artivists (Artist-Activists), event organizers, & multi-media public communicators against intersecting oppressions By Any Medium Necessary. Artivists do not do art for art's sake. They use their talents to produce a public counter culture of ideas, images, words, music, and performances. Their performance of power is through the power of artistic performance. They stand on the shoulders of the traditional activists & artists who came before them and who are among them, but because art can critique, influence, and inspire change, they are not the same as those who organize through those commonly used direct action methods. By not using those traditional methods do not make them any less activist. There are multiple roles for people to make change. Youth Roots does that through their actions. They do that through their art. They do that through their Artivism. They dig deep. Root in. Reach out. Rise up.