The arts have always played a part in education whether inside a classroom or outside. The arts are important in the development of people throughout their lives. Looking ahead, the arts will be needed now more than ever.
In college I took a course on William Shakespeare and his work. Usually plays and performances were restricted to the aristocrat class. Shakespeare performed his plays for people of all social stations. Many people could not read or write but art and performance taught them lessons about life. One reason the arts are usually taken out of schools is that the power structure knows the power and influence arts have on the masses. It's happened in many countries such as Pinochet's Chile, Castro's Cuba, and Assad's Saudi Arabia. It's is happening here.
As a poet and storyteller, I am doubling my efforts to be open and educate people on what is happening. Much is needed: encouragement, educating the masses, rallies, and the belief that things must and will be changed. We cannot sit back anymore and let the powers take away our freedoms. Recently I and others performed in a play about affordable housing which is a big issue in my neighborhood. The arts opens people's minds to the possibility that they are important and that our involvement in fomenting change is critical.
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