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Zion Davis’ Senior Project:

Emancipation Through

Pronunciation

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Zion Davis

Lounaas

Plus 2

5/23/2018

Emancipation Through Pronunciation

I entered high school inspired and eager to try new things. I soon realized that I had the

potential to spark that same creativity into the minds of the youth, much liked older mentor’s had

done for me. My experience in the CAA has shown me an artistic perspective on problem

solving that will aid my societal mission to spread awareness on social issues through the various

mediums of art I have learned how to use.

The academy taught me a new way of thinking by involving me in several artistic

projects over the course of my high school career. In Drama 1, I learned the basics of acting,

which helped me in lower core during projects that were opened up artistically. If I wanted to do

a monologue instead of a painting, it was always an option. Skits were often performed in lower

core, and my Drama basis allowed me to easily participate. When I made it into advanced

Drama, the projects became more complex.

The Ohlone Project gave me essential artistic freedom that that was quite expansive.

Each year, the Advance Drama Troupe attends the Annual Ohlone High School Theatre

Competition in March. There are several categories to choose from, and we were allowed to

compete in whatever struck our interest. Veronica Renner, a Senior at the time, and I wanted to

do a scene together with a sword fight in it; we couldn’t find any so we chose to write our own.

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Rosey Tippery, another drama student, joined our group, and we started the process of

brainstorming. However, we couldn’t agree on any ideas and the deadline for scripts was

quickly approaching. The night before this due date, I decided to try and write how I had

envisioned the scene. To my surprise, it was as if the scene had wrote itself and we were in

motion to compete it. I helped in directing, but as I hadn’t yet been taught about safety regarding

stage combat, Veronica had to show me the techniques. This was my first time playing a

character I had written, and I learned how much easier it was than the acting I had done prior.

We competed at the Ohlone College, and made it to the finals; Veronica and I had a conflict at

the same time and had to quickly change and run from the main stage where they were doing the

category of Mini Musical. Upon arriving, Rosey greeted us and we were told that our group was

the last to perform, but all the other groups had already performed. We did the scene one last

time and headed to the award ceremony. We ended up winning third place in our category,

Contemporary Humorous Ensemble, and Veronica let me keep the Trophy. She said it was

because of the hard work I had put into writing the scene in the first place.

This project gave me the opportunity to combine different skills I had learned, and

allowed me to compete these skills against talented other Drama students. First I demonstrated

my creative writing abilities by writing an original scene, then I showed my own understanding

of my writing by portraying one of the characters. My stage presence and the charisma between

the characters combined as their duel progressed. Simultaneously, I was learning more about

Theatre through the use of stage combat and weapons, that was previously unknown to me. This

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experience showed me that there was more to theatre than just acting. Writing, Directing, and

Choreography involving original ideas involve the same amount of work, If not more.

In my Junior Project, I tried to prove that drugs aren’t the best way to treat mental illness.

I wrote a full length play touching on this issue; much of the information was derived from

personal interviews I conducted. These interviews were with people who suffered from mental

illnesses, and gave me a clear idea on how to write my characters. I had been writing the play

before my project, but the idea of fighting mental illness gave me the flare I needed to finish it.

My Junior Project taught me how art, specifically my writing, can be used to spread awareness

about issues; readers and Audience members alike learn more from what they experience. As

my artistic skills increased, my academic knowledge was able to follow.

The CAA provided me with more academic clarity by making projects more artistically

based. During the All Academy Slam Poetry Project, I wrote most of the poems that my group

created, and was then allowed to choreograph them. This was the first time the academy let me

step into a leader position. Due to my passion for the topic, I worked harder on this project than

any other. I learned a lot about taking constructive criticism and working it into your point. The

project gave me the first opportunity I had to take charge of my group, and to accomplish the

project’s goals on my own as well as in a collaborative effort; this resulted in my new confidence

as a project leader.

My Junior Project also allowed me to actually research weather drugs used to treat mental

illness were harmful. This was a topic I had growing interest in from the first play I had ever

done. The play was Distracted by Lisa Loomer, about a mother and father who find out that

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their son is diagnosed with ADD, and have to decide how to treat it. I played the son, Jesse, and

had the task of portraying his essence from offstage. My character didn’t come out completely

until the end of the play, as part of the resolution. However, Jesse was put on several

medications that changed his nature. From portraying these emotions previously, I was very

curious to research more about these drugs in my Junior Project. I learned that it is better to

Judge a situation after doing the research, as new details will always appear. However, I found

numerous similarities between what my sources described, and how Lisa Loomer wrote

Distracted; this came in handy as I was writing my own play about the use of drugs to combat

mental illness.

My research into my Senior Project has given me humble perspective on the world

around me. My topic, Modern Day Slavery, is a huge issue everywhere, even today. From the

Interviews I conducted and the presentation of my Senior Project art piece, I have concluded that

slam poetry is the best way to fight issues like slavery. It is a very personal art form, and

therefore can address the personal torture that slavery is. I know that Issues like Slavery are

more common than people think; the best way to combat these problems, is by joining together

as a community to spread awareness through art.

Modern Slavery is often mistaken for human trafficking, Modern Slavery is considered

human trafficking, but they are not the same thing. Modern Slavery focuses on labor

exploitation, but this often takes away from human trafficking, like Child trafficking; because of

this, Child trafficking is hidden behind all the attention on Modern Slavery. Children aren’t

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usually visible in labor markets, and are worked in private places such as brothels and farms.

This demonstrates how the modern economic focus is too narrow, and needs to recognize more

forms of trafficking.

The Modern Slavery Act in the UK, centered on prosecuting companies abusing labor for

heavy profit, rather than attempting to make it easier for victims to speak out. However, it

resulted in more victims being charged of crimes associated with trafficking than traffickers

themselves. Under the legislation, children had to provide evidence of being trafficked, to

receive protection from prosecution. However in some cases, Police or Immigration officials left

the children in the hands of the traffickers. Children who approached frontline agencies,

received racism and xenophobia, while simply looking for help. We must avoid legislation that

helps to hide trafficking behind a focus on Modern Slavery.

Currently, there are over 40 million people caught up in the modern slave trade. This is

often under our noses, and businesses like nail salons are used by gangs and a front to traffick

women and girls. Of those 40 million: 16,000,000 are in in forced labor exploitation,

15,400,000 are in a forced marriage, 4,800,000 are in forced sexual exploitation, and 4,100,000

are in state-imposed forced labor. 29% of those people are male, the other 71% are female. 25

of them are children, the other 75% are adult. These numbers range all over the world, and come

from a variety of areas. “In Africa, there are 7.6 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000

people in the region. Asia and the Pacific is next (6.1 per 1,000), then Europe and Central Asia

(3.9 per 1,000)” (Gray). This illustrates how Modern Slavery quite literally affects millions of

people every day; a solution would have to be worldwide for complete success.

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 When it comes to solutions, there is a need for clear leadership that provides coordination

in anti-slavery activity. Dr Alison Gardner, the lead researcher on an anti-slavery project, said,

"Local partnerships play a vital role in tackling modern slavery and by mapping their work we

can start to share good practice and help to make our communities slavery-free"(Nottingham).

This quote demonstrates how Police, charities, local authorities, health services, and others must

form a partnership that can professionally address the issue of Modern Slavery. Local agencies

need a consistent approach for dealing with the issue. Many current partnerships are not

influencing the deeper problems of slavery, like what is happening in their supply chains. While

there is very little funding dedicated to this issue, there is a high demand for more coordinated

and local anti-slavery activity across the world.

“Owing to their criminal character, modern slavery and trafficking often have links to

other forms of illicit activity, notably involving money laundering, drug trafficking and

prostitution. In addition, almost half the world’s illegal deforestation is slave-based, making

criminal slaveholders responsible for 2.54 billion tons of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere

annually, more than any country except China and the United States. This means that the

consequences of businesses being associated with modern slavery can include more severe

sanctions and penalties, across several areas of operation” (Parry). Chris Parry wrote this to

educate how crime is both funded and fueled by Modern Slavery. If a person or company is

going to risk profit off of labor exploitation, they are already committing a crime. Therefore,

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they would be more likely to shrug off other crimes involved with their business. This can be a

fearful idea, as exposure would result in negative repercussions toward the company; meaning
That they would protect their secrets no matter the cost. This is why many slaves are unable to

speak out, because they know they are risking their own life in the process.

I asked Brianna Mungo in our interview if she thought Slam Poetry was an effective way

of fighting social issues, she responded by saying, “I am thinking that Slam Poetry is an effective

way of communicating one’s soul”(Mungo). We went on to talk about how societal issues often

come down to the individual; and an individual's passion for a topic, often comes from their soul.

“Raw Authentic Poems”, as Brianna put it, are the best to use against fighting these problems.

Brianna also mentioned how she won the loser’s bracket of the All Academy Slam Poetry

Project with a poem she said she wrote, “Straight from my soul”(Mungo). The poem was about

Women’s Rights and derived emotion from traumatic experiences Brianna had been through

earlier that year. This emotion was turned to power when Brianna used her voice to question

society's view on the topic.

I decided to use this information to help my own project, and to prove that Slam Poetry is

one of the best ways to fight Modern Slavery. Awareness needed to be spread about even the

most basic ideas involved with slavery. Most people don’t know that not only is slavery still

around, but the industry is thriving. In Fact, there are more slaves today than ever before in

history. A slavery economist at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Havard Kennedy

School, Siddharth Kara, predicted that the slave profits result in 150 billion US dollars annually.

Kara proceeded to say, “Human life has become more expendable than ever … Slaves can be

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acquired, exploited and discarded in relatively short periods and still provide immense profits for

their exploiters. The deficiency in the global response to slavery has allowed
the practice to persist. Unless slavery is perceived as a high-cost and high-risk form of labour

exploitation, this reality will not change” (Roberts). Kara was especially insightful in the end of

his quote, because this reality will not change without public awareness.

When I interviewed Chase Beham, I asked him about using art to spread this same kind

of public awareness. I inquired weather he thought Slam Poetry was a useful way to express

passion and emotion regarding personal and societal issues. He responded by saying, “I believe

so, you think about great songwriters in the modern day, like Bob Dylan… on a societal level

the power of words can be impactful… something that resonates will be will have repercussions

on society, whether negative or positive”(Benham). This quote shows how writing and art can

spread like wildfire, and have a strong influence on the consciousness of the population. I asked

him about his process of writing poetry, he explained that he liked to give and receive critiques

and that sometimes he writes alone but other times he wants to have the moral support of a friend

with him. He then told how he prefers to write after a trek into nature, with the influence of

positive friends. Chase explained how he gets sporadic thoughts from the stimulation of the

senses in an open and natural environment. He then composes these thoughts into words and

labels it as his art.

My research into the topic of Modern Slavery reflects how I’ve learned a new way of

thinking about social issues, I see them as inspiration to create art. My academic clarity due to

artistic freedom motivates me to work harder on projects of all kinds. This ties into my artistic

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piece, a slam poem, that I wrote to combat my topic of Modern Slavery. I used my personal

connection to slavery itself, my family history under the name Davis, to speak my thoughts on
the topic. The theme of the poem was identity, and I used it as a way to signify my name

change, before it became legal. I was raised by my mother, Azurayah Light, rather than my

father, Nathan Davis, On my father’s side, I am directly related to Jefferson Davis, President of

the Confederate States of America, and a major slave owner. The first line of the poem was,

“Zion River Davis”, and the last line became “Zion River Light”. The changing of my name is

how I made the poem especially personal, while still connecting it to my topic.

I wanted to do more with my artistic aspect of my Senior Project, than just perform my

poem. I worked with my mentor, Mrs. Abbott, to find a time when I could present it to the lower

core academy students. However, we talked about how I could expand the ideas and give a little

introduction into Slam Poetry; I ended up being allowed an hour with each of the lower core

english classes to do this. I started my small Slam Poetry workshop, by giving the students an

introduction into how I got involved in Slam Poetry. I then performed my own poem for the

class in utter silence; I thought that silence made my words more impactful. Afterwards, I asked

the students to take out their notebooks, and gave them all 20-25 minutes to try out writing some

Slam Poetry. At the end of the time period, they had the opportunity to perform their own poems

for the class. I was very pleased that four students from each class decided to perform their

poetry. The experience was exactly what I was hoping for, and the students shared their stories

in a personal and artistic matter. I could tell that the outlook of the class on the whole exercise

shifted after that point. Before any of the students performed, I taught everyone how Slam

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Poetry is supported from the audience’s perspective. I taught them how to snap and say “mmm”

whenever they heard something they liked, and lead them in snapping during the performances.

This makes a huge difference for the poet, they get support from the audience as they share their
story. Because of this, students realized that Slam Poetry is a way for people to present issues

that we are ignorant of, and that the audience is crucial in helping that transaction. Afterwards, I

asked the students to write a small response on a piece of paper to give me feedback on the

presentation. Students were encouraged that they could remain anonymous if they wished, and I

got a response from every student to read that night.

My poetry workshop inspired lower core academy students to see problem solving in an

artistic and tangible way. It showed me how my choices as an upper core academy student had

an effect on the lower core. I motivated them to get involved and entertained their artistic side.

From reading the lower core responses, I realized that I had made an impact on these students not

only from my presentation, but from being heavily involved in the academy itself. My Slam

Poetry workshop proved to me that Slam Poetry is the best way for me to combat issues like

Modern Slavery.

The CAA has provided me with a new artistic way of looking at problem solving from a

unique perspective. The most important thing to me as a student is that my impact on the

academy will live on through the legacies that the lower core students I’ve inspired have created

and will create. They truly are the future of the academy, and reading their responses to my

presentation warmed my heart.

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Works Cited

Benham, Chase. Personal Interview. 17 May 2018

Gearon, Alinka. “How trafficked children are being hidden behind a focus on modern slavery”

The Conversation,

\http://theconversation.com/how-trafficked-children-are-being-hidden-behind-a-focus-on-

modern-slavery-87116

Gray, Alex. “The shocking numbers behind the modern slave trade” World Economic Forum,

12 Oct 2017

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/the-shocking-numbers-behind-the-modern-slave-trade

Mungo, Brianna. Personal Interview. 17 May 2018

Nottingham, university. “Making communities more resilient to modern slavery” Phys, 9 Nov

2017

https://phys.org/news/2017-11-resilient-modern-slavery.html

Parry, Chris. “Modern slavery: what it seems, more or less” Risk, 2017

https://risk.thomsonreuters.com/en/resources/white-paper/modern-slavery-what-it-seems-more-

or-less-2017.html

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Roberts, Marcus. “Modern day slavery” Mercatornet, 17 Aug 2017

https://www.mercatornet.com/demography/view/modern-day-slavery/20225