“Why art education?" is such a big and almost overwhelming question for me to answer. After sitting with it for a while I think I've been able to find the root... and reasons why I am dedicated to this profession. Beyond basically being raised in the classroom because of my grandmother and mother being teachers. The answer is sort of selfish, because I do it for myself and my students. My goal has and always will be to challenge and abolish forms of systematic racism in & biases in any way that I can. Yes yes I know, I'm just an art teacher in Midtown Detroit what do I think I'm going to be able to do in my little charter school classroom? To that I say “everything!” I find it so inspiring that I am able to help guide the future leaders of our world. I think that the art room can be one of the most powerful sources to combat the issues we have within society today. Empowering my students with skills to communicate, think creatively and build the world they dream of. I find it beautiful that within the art learning studio I was able to be more than “the black girl” with all of these responsibilities, labels, statistics and targets strapped on to my back. It was in the art studio where I found safety in making mistakes, failing and starting again. It was in the art learning studio where I began to find my voice. Where I was able to trust myself no matter my state of mind. It was there that I found I did everything for a reason whether it was a color palette or texture added or paint splattered. I found it easy to question, think critically and trust my instincts and communicate with the world. I found it easy to speak in this space and take up space. As opposed to the outside world where little girls like me had been seen as big and forced to feel small. The learning studio made me recognize I can both dream big and do big no matter what the rest of the world has said or seen. There someone took the time to see ME and what I needed despite what I'd been through where I'd been or where the world thought I'd end up. My high school art Learning Studio helped me dream.. I want to create that same safe space for people like baby Deja and those different from her to dream, think out loud, ask questions, challenge the status quo, fall, get back up and succeed. Despite them wanting to have a future centered around art I want them to think creatively.