Serafina Johnson
The poster image contains photographs of some of largest demonstrations and strikes in US history. It also includes a reimagined Pledge of Allegiance in the center. The text follows the same structure as our current pledge of allegiance, so you would recite it in the same manner. Each line has the same number of syllables as our current pledge of allegiance.
When imagining what un/equal freedoms could mean, I automatically thought of our countries pledge of allegiance and how we are taught to recite its words from such a young age. Those words only cater to a narrow demographic of peoples. I wanted to reimagine one which would commemorate the ways in which POC have fought for justice and freedom in this country, that felt inclusive, and community based. I always felt disconnected from our pledge of allegiance, like it was not meant for someone like me. My expression of true radical freedom was new pledge towards antiracism and abolishing systemic injustice. This was a pledge I could connect with, to always fight for those who are underrepresented and marginalized as we look at those that have/continue to protest for us in the photographs surrounding the poster.
I never considered myself an artist or capable of being creative, but as my passion for activism grew this past year so did my curiosity for how to creatively express myself. If you find yourself in this position and feel intimidated, let me encourage you to just do it! You might surprise yourself the way I surprised myself. My passion for politics and activism was really sparked by growing up as part of a Mexican immigrant family. We lived most of our life in Bakersfield, where I experienced a lot of racism and saw firsthand how educators can spread falsehoods about the history of this country and POC. I had a fierce passion for correcting this and although I always knew I wanted to work in a field where I could do this, I faced a lot of obstacles to get where I am today. I am now 27 years old and back in college, finally understanding who I am and what I want out of life. I plan on running for congress one day to help be that systemic change that is needed in this country and to inspire and help other WOC to do the same!
Serafina Johnson, The Radical Pledge of Allegiance, 04/06/2021 poster
Pledge of Allegiance to Dignidad y Respeto to Communities in Resistance, by Dr. Nancy Huante Tzintzun, Ph.D., Ethnic Studies Lecturer, Sacramento State
Serafina 's piece reminds me of the song by Natalia Lafourcade called “Un Derecho de Nacimiento”. I start with one of the verses from the song to guide my reflection.
I will create a communal song
Voy a crear un canto comunal
I'm going to invent a universal mantra
Voy a inventar un mantra universal
That leads to the conscience in our soul to rescue
Que desemboque en la conciencia en nuestra alma rescatar
To discover the wonder of respecting every moment again, yeah
El descubrir la maravilla de volver a respetar cada momento, sí
Every experience, every color, every smell, every moment
Cada experiencia, cada color, cada olor, cada instante
Resist in sadness and always walk forward
Resistir en la tristeza y caminar siempre adelante
Always aware, always triumphant
Siempre conscientes, siempre triunfantes
The power behind “The Radical Pledge of Allegiance” is an invitation to resist by building through our collective memories of solidarity work. The images that accompany the poetry in this piece is a walk through of the ways BIPOC communities speak back to systems of oppression and create spaces for the future to reimagine a world that respects our dignity and lived experiences. When Serafina says, I pledge Allegiance to Black Lives Matter I hear the commitment to not only understanding the purpose of BLM, I also here the urgency to stand side-by-side the movement as Chicana who although unique in my struggle is in alignment with the goal of pledging our allegiance to communities in resistance of White Supremacy and other forms of oppression. Lastly, the call for abolition at the end of Serafina’s poem is a call to what Natalia names in her song, which is an invitation to create. The poem is inviting us to create a song, a mantra, abolition democracy which centers history of communities in resistance, our lived experience, and dignity. Both Serafina and Natalia as artists invite us to be part of the creation process. Overall, a beautiful and powerful piece.
Reflection Response to Dr. Huante-Tzintzun by Serafina Johnson
“The poem is inviting us to create a song, a mantra, abolition democracy which centers history of communities in resistance, our lived experience, and dignity.” With this reflection, Dr. Huante-Tzintzun beautifully captures the sentiment behind writing “The Radical Pledge of Allegiance”, I wanted to highlight the resistance taken on by our ancestors and the current resistance BIPOC are participating in now. I drew a lot of inspiration for this piece from a mantra that my therapist and I came up with during the hardest parts of protesting this past summer of 2020. The mantra drew from remembering our ancestors who fought for our civil rights and remembering that we have the power to resist, reform, and abolish as well. One aspect of our democracy I felt needed reforming was our pledge of allegiance and I thought about what it might mean to those who are underrepresented if these were the words we recited; the power, joy, and commitment we would feel in our communities would be unmatched. With this allegiance I hope to inspire all of our communities to keep resisting White Supremacy and pledge their allegiance to all communities affected by it. Overall, Dr. Huante-Tzintzun understood exactly what my piece is conveying and the way she tied the song by Natalia Lafourcade to my work made the message feel even more hopeful and powerful.