PHILADELPHIA (RNS) — The assignment for Keziah Ridgeway’s class at Northeast High School in December 2023 didn’t mention Israel or Palestinians. After discussing Black spirituals in a section on American slavery, Ridgeway’s AP African American history students were asked to present examples of artistic expression from oppressed groups.
Two sophomore boys produced a single-episode podcast comparing spirituals to the work of Palestinian artist Emily Jacir and murals painted on the separation wall in the West Bank. “The Palestinian struggle is complex and art has became (sic) a vital tool for expressing resistance,” the podcasters said, going on to explore how Palestinian folk dances and embroidery counteract the “erasure of the Palestinian narrative.”
“Art,” they concluded, “transcends time and space, connecting us to a shared human experience of overcoming adversity through creativity.”
Ridgeway, impressed with their work, got permission from her principal, Omar Crowder, to play the podcast at the school’s Black History Month assembly. After the first assembly — three were held due to the school’s size — a teacher named Lisa Appel shared photos of the student presentation on the Facebook page of a newly created group called the School District of Philadelphia Jewish Family Association.
Appel and Family Association members …