For my final project as action, I chose to revisit the topic I covered in Season I, the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC). The PIC is the rapid influx in prison inmates due to several different deeply rooted systemic flaws. This issue is devastating the welfare of minorities and the poor. The purpose of my project, “The Problem Tree: Prison Industrial Complex” is to have a visual resource that can be used by anyone that maps out my understanding of the PIC.
I was inspired to use a tree as a metaphor for explaining this issue by Climbing PoeTree, who introduced me to another problem tree made by New York City public school students on the topic of education, and also frequently use nature as a platform for understanding society. The image is pretty self-explanatory, and interactive for visual learners like myself. I was also inspired by Climbing PoeTree in another way; by designing this course they inspired so much change in me and my peers.
My action is a microcosm for what I believe to be the essence of “Hurricane Season”, a small lesson that can be shared with anyone and opens up a dialogue about important social issues. My goal is that this mini-lesson will be reused and remodeled in other classrooms around the city, and will inspire action in communities across Chicago.
PLEASE VIEW MY PROBLEM TREE PRESENTATION BELOW!