The Baseball Test: how I learned about radical organizing from Middle School students : NOLA Indymedia

This past summer I had the honor of working with the youth activist group Kids Rethink New Orleans Public Schools to prepare for a press conference on cafeteria improvements and food justice. Rethink is a group of students post-Katrina who come together to “learn more about how they can change their schools” and have a voice in rebuilding. Rethinkers claim that they are the experts on schools in New Orleans because they attend them every day.
As theater artists, my partner and I were hoping to teach the Rethinkers something about how theater can be a tool for activists, a “rehearsal for life” in which we examine possibilities, tackle difficult questions, and collectively determine the best course of action. Towards that end, during one of our sessions we introduced an exercise in Augusto Boal’s “invisible theater,” intended to force conversation and action by fabricating a situation that requires both. The activity has stuck with me because it demonstrated how much I have to learn about organizing, power, and courage from my young colleagues.

It was 9:30 AM on a Friday when Mr. Joe, the beloved custodian of McDonough 15, came to the door with a stern look.
“It looks like someone threw a baseball through a car window in the parking lot. The police are coming. Does anyone know anything?” The students exchanged looks. Some edged over toward the windows overlooking the parking lot. No, they replied, rushing to shield themselves and their friends with alibis. My co-teacher and I feigned annoyance at the interruption.
Mr. Joe looked disappointed. “Well I can’t let anyone leave the classroom. I’m going to have to speak to you individually.” He studied the group of fifteen or so middle and high school students. “I’ll start with you, you and you.” The students left with Mr. Joe, and the group nervously resumed work. Ten minutes later Mr. Joe returned, without the students. He pulled several more out. And then more. Things were starting to get tense. One student called her mother. Another called Ms. Jane, Rethink’s adult founder and director.
Finally the entire group of exiled students returned to the classroom. “The police are here. They want us to go with them.” An argument ensued. Nobody wanted to get into more trouble. But some of the students argued that they shouldn’t go. Things were unraveling. Isaiah, the oldest in the returning group, started to head toward the door with the others in tow. But Victor, a high school intern, rushed to stand between him and the exit, holding his arms out to block the way. “You’re not going.”
The truth was that Isaiah and the other exiled students knew that the scenario was theater from the time they were pulled out of the classroom, but for Victor the stakes were real. His act of defiance took me back to memories of December 2007. I was in a sea of protesters locked out of the City Council meeting that would determine the fate of public housing in New Orleans. At one point our collective force actually burst through the padlock and pushed open the gates, and there was a split second when I could have walked right through and been arrested on the other side. I could have stepped between my allies and the law enforcement officials who were upholding an unjust paradigm. But I didn’t. Six months later, faced with a similar moment of possibility, 16- year-old Victor performed that symbolic act.

Victor isn’t the only Rethinker who understands the importance of symbolic actions. On July 24, 2008, the Rethinkers held a press conference to articulate their values: dignity, health, diversity, local economy and culture, the environment, beauty, comfort and cleanliness. They offered twelve recommendations to a gathering of reporters, advocates, and city officials, including Superintendent of the Recovery School District, Paul Vallas. The Rethinkers are experts at getting their voices heard through a number of strategies that adult organizers could learn from.
Build coalitions. The Rethinkers recognize their membership in a larger, citywide coalition of youth activists. They are building partnerships with the Vietnamese-American Youth Leadership Association (VAYLA) and Fyre Youth Squad as well as adult allies. These include Louisiana farmers and shrimpers who would benefit from schools serving fresh, local food.
Find creative ways to engage people. The Rethinkers’ examination of cafeteria improvements and food justice engaged different audiences on a variety of different levels to maximize impact. Rethink created a video game called The Ultimate Lunch Tray “so that younger children can have more fun with learning how to eat healthy and buy local food,” according to Rethinker Isaiah. For older audiences, the Rethinkers created a 3-D virtual model of their ideal, green cafeteria and explained their plans for each space.
Offer alternatives. According to Rethinker Lucy, “Rethink is all about finding the problems but also finding the solutions.” The Rethinkers’ solutions to their problems with school cafeterias ranged from biodegradable utensils, plastic trays, teaching gardens and a moratorium on silent lunches.
Recognize the power of symbolic actions. Had NOPD been ascending the steps of McDonough 15 to apprehend a group of students for a “crime” they did not commit, Victor’s stand would not have stopped them. Nor would the City Council meeting have been opened had I walked through that gate. Vallas may not decide to implement all twelve of the Rethinkers’ recommendations, although he’s informally committed to eleven. But at least the Rethinkers have stood up and proven, in the words of their mentor Dee Dee Green, “I am valuable, I do have a voice, and I deserve to be heard.”

To learn more about the Rethinkers,
go to http://www.therethinkers.com