Personal Truths: Youth Utilizing Artmaking to Promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Youth titled this book Personal Truths because they shared their personal journeys, what they think of themselves, what others think of them, and who they are when their masks are removed. Artists encourage us to recognize personal truths may differ from what society values and cultural conditioning. Intuitively, authors understand what it means to live their truth. They discovered what matters most to them and expressed how they feel when navigating these justice-oriented issues.

Putting their truths into words was difficult. Their lives, insights, and experiences were shaped by the way in which they live their lives, their truths. Artists encourage us to utilize their artmaking to make decisions based on love versus fear. They want each of us to live according to what we value and to look within and reflect how lived experiences shape who we become. Youth recognized their source of power came from within and deepened not only their sense of self, but internalizing self-worth begins from within.

Through their artmaking, authors honor their intuition, insights, thoughts, and feelings around a myriad of issues ranging from the need for culturally responsive teachers/leaders to police brutality to the need for children to be loved as their authentic selves as well as many more justice-oriented issues they deem significant to their development. Their artmaking provided space to deepen their understanding of how personal truths influence their decision making, values, beliefs, and actions. Their artmaking reinforces their beliefs and personal growth; in other words, these artists concluded the need to live their truths.

This powerful and moving artmaking taps into what youth deem significant. To be true to oneself suggests each of us be conscious of our values, beliefs, responses, and motives. As youth deepened their ways of knowing, they discovered how often society influenced their sense of self and how often society seemed insensitive and even contradicted their values and beliefs. For these artists, it was the first time they were provided space to explore how schools, communities, and society influence how they make sense of the world. Artmaking restored and strengthened that personal awareness.