In May of 2020, York Street Public School noticed that their students were struggling with the news of racial violence coming out of the United States and here at home. To help support them, the school partnered with MASC so that the students could explore the issues and their feelings through an artist-in-residence poetry program led by Jamaal Jackson Rogers.
The result is “Give Hope,” a collective poem written by the children, recorded and performed by Jamaal, and filmed by Randy Kelly. Due to the pandemic, they were not able to film with the participants. This project was generously supported by the French Family Foundation.