Department Alumni
Fernando Bermudez:
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At 12-years-old, Represent Justice ambassador @FernandoBermudezFree had an after school routine. When his last class was over, he’d head down to the subway with his friends and markers in tow, and spend his afternoon writing in the tunnels. It was like art class, and he wasn’t alone. He was part of a phenomenon of Black and Brown youth in the five boroughs making themselves visible through public art when the rest of society tried to render them invisible.
“It was a way of self expression in the ghetto. A way to become known, to become popular,” Fernando said. But after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Fernando suppressed his talents, partially out of fear of getting in trouble.
These last few months of sheltering in place have allowed Fernando to reconnect with his artistic practice, and channel his emotions through graffiti. That’s why he created this piece for #FreeOurVote. His piece explores what it means to be disenfranchised. He traces the roots of mass incarceration and reminds us that November’s election is the first step toward building a fairer justice system.
Through his art, he outlines the rise of the prison industrial complex, and how the rapid expansion of prisons and policing — which disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities — takes decades away from people’s lives. With an officer blocking access to a ballot box, Fernando shows how the ramifications of incarceration last long after a person is released. And we know this to be true, since more than 6.1 million Americans have lost the right to vote because of a felony conviction.
“We need to vote for more people, but we also need to pass laws to get more to vote,” Fernando said. “We need to free our vote.”
Leah Juliette
Recognized as one of Glamour Magazine’s 2019 College Women of Year and received a $10,000 award from L’Oréal of Paris as a 2020 Women of Worth, for her Marches Against Revenge Porn activism work.
Past Alumni Panel Discussions:
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March 2020
February 2019 (for a PDF version, see here)
