Social Justice Heroes
Trading Cards
This Guerrilla project is designed to address the question, "Who are today's heroes?" People can easily talk about famous heroes, such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, who have worked hard for social justice. Yet, many cannot name people who are trying to achieve social justice today. Thusly, when the students discussed our views of world problems, they felt hopeless and frustrated. We decided to identify and learn about the people who are trying to make this world a better place.
Students researched issues that are important to them, and looked into just WHO is working to make a difference.
Criteria for Today's Hero
Must be alive
Working for Social Justice
Class list of heroes must be a varied bunch from all over the world.
Not Use Violence to Achieve Goals
(We felt that this made a hero more of a revolutionary and that is a different project)
Students learned how to draw portraits of their heroes using photos as reference. They then began the process of linoleum block printing.
A. Transferred, inked, and carved the image on a 4.5" x 5.5" linoleum block.
B. Form groups of 6 to work together.
C. Create multiple prints (minimum of 10) of their hero.
D. Combine their hero prints to assemble trading cards sets.
E. Write about their hero's achievements by taking on their hero's persona, and writing in "first person language". This summary will be attached to back of trading card (like "stats").
F. Make several trading card sets with packaging to give away to educate others about Today's Heroes!
A Sampling of Student's Heroes
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| Ai Wei Wei |
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| The Dalai Lama |
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| Alice Walker |
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| Dennis Banks |
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| Barbara Kruger |
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| Karen Lewis |
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| Lupe Fiasco |
