The Triumph Over Educational Genocide: A Story in Paintings Georgio Sabino III: Case Western Reserve University In American educational society, disadvantaged youths/students need resilience in order to achieve their goals. Students all across America have a story to tell about their educational experience. For some, “Children in one set of schools are educated to be governors; children in the oth
er set of schools are trained for being governed.” [Kozol, Savage Inequalities] But within the various settings of this vast educational system, there is diversity among ethnicities, socio-‐economic classes and geographic divisions. In society, there are people who have and ‘the have-‐nots’. These paintings address the resilience and achievement for ‘the have nots’ – those who have been disadvantaged. Bush put into motion the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This act is meant to raise the achievement rates of American students to compete with the world, but more specifically, with the children of low-‐income and socio-‐economic minorities, from kindergarten through high school. The difference in educational test results between European-‐American and African-‐American students reflects what has come to be known as “the achievement gap”.1 NCLB is a definitive act by the federal government accountability while attempting to close the educational gap between race and class. What is the achievement gap? “An achievement gap refers to the observed disparity on a number of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, and socio-‐economic status.” 2 The triptych and, subsequently, “The Triumph Over Educational Genocide” recognizes the effects from decisions made historically, politically, socially and personally, to oppress ethnic groups from breaking the stereotypes, paradigm, or status quo. These paintings address the dark side of the fight against domination, obstacles and the man. These paintings provide solid memories that deal with the Darwinian view of “survival of the fittest” and reference a favorite Malcolm X philosophy that espouses “by any means necessary.” In each painting, therein lies the hindrance. But the obstacles must be overcome by perseverance and a plan. The plan is to have a good defensive strategy, while also implementing a strong offensive. In the painting, “Sodom and Gomorrah blocks of fire,” are being thrown at the Radical Punk Rocker who has to deal with his philosophical theory of “Brutal Logic” (behind or in between the positive and negative space), a past series that dealt with the inner self-‐discovery about emotional strength and utilizing the stylistic fighting method of Capoeira. The spirit of the physical conflict leads to a dispute between the nemesis and the warrior. The painting, “Whipping from the Beast on Latitude 41° 24' N 81° 51' W,” cradles the semiology of signs and symbols to defend against universal oppression in a waged war. But the battle comes down to “Mental Awareness and Strategic Power,” the third painting; this triptych describes the ability to navigate under extreme pressure with courage. This collective effort describes how the bureaucracy and genocide is an individually personal struggle, but one that is faced by other individuals across the planet. With time, diligence and belief in faith, the struggle has an ending or a new beginning. These paintings lead to a triumph over life’s adversity. In this painting, the warrior in his stance is prepared for the next adventure or conflict. This stance is an ancient one, meaning “hunter detail of the lion’s hunt,” but revisited to be “The Triumph over Educational Genocide.”
