My name is Lavaya Taylor and I'm a Senior music major. I made this poster for my Studio in Media Arts with Mr. Riffel. The piece is called "Hands Up Black Man." The intention for this project was blend words with a photo and make it one. However, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and write my own to poetry to put with the photo. We used Abode Express Software to blend words with pictures and have the words show through the picture. I chose my poem Hands Up. The picture in the background is of an African American male with his hands and head up and I chose it because I wanted to pull the audience in emotionally. I wanted the poem to have the audience overcome with truth and reality. I wrote this poem because people of color go through scenarios like this more than we see in the media. My mother also writes poetry. She writes more about love and what I gained from her was to use writing as an outlet. I like to use my writing as a voice to speak about subjects where my voice may be silenced otherwise. It helps me cope with a lot of suppressed feelings and it also helps vocalize how I feel in a productive manner.
