

Marin Youth
Art and Writing

editor’s Note
This Art and Writing Zine (mini magazine) is a work of Marin Organizing for Racial Equity (MORE). MORE is an initiative of the Youth Leadership Institute that analyzes how structural racism impacts housing, immigration, health, and education, and serves to promote racial justice in Marin County, California.
Our goal with this zine is to highlight underrepresented youth in Marin and allow them to express themselves through sharing their artwork. Ahead are numerous works, both art and writing, collected from students around Marin, particularly students from Branson School, San Domenico School, and Tamalpais High School.
In putting all of the pieces together we got to see the diversity of ideas and artistic thought that is present in the students of Marin. This experience has taught us a lot about how important it is to make the effort to reach out to as many people as possible so we can truly represent all of Marin.
As you read, take the time to consider what you can learn from these amazing students. What new perspectives can you gain? What voices are present and what voices are not? What can you take away about the schools of Marin?
Without further ado, we welcome you into this collection of artwork. Thank you very much, and we hope you enjoy the zine!
-MORE Art and Writing Zine Editors: Mira Sridharan, Tara Fullerton, Olga Klymenko, Saidy Reyes, Camila
Urbano, and Nikash Shah
Chidera Onyeukwu
San Domenico School
If the innovations of our people could be uplifted to the whole world the veil of discrimination could finally be lifted off of us. Despite Africa's historical contributions to human society, it has been neglected by modern history. Often being limited to stories of tribal men and women, hunting with spears, not knowing when their next drink will be. We need to change this western perspective of Africa, even if it's one step at a time. We need to appreciate the diversity of the continent, and the richness of each of its countries. Thousands of years ago, Swahili is said to have been created when the Bantu people in the Central African region started trading with Arabic and Islamic people and their languages combined. Since then, more and more people have been speaking Swahili and spreading the language throughout Africa. It slowly became one of the biggest languages in Africa. Swahili, and other African languages, were spoken in some of the most defining moments in history.
Think about the earliest universities in the world, some of which are still standing in Africa. Think about the ancient Egyptian scientists who managed to align the pyramids with interstellar constellations, 3,000 years before astronomy was practiced in Europe. Think about modern businesses such as M-Cell, a cell network in South Africa that is larger than any cell provider in the US. Think about every American classroom that hears Swahili for the first time, or an African classroom hearing English for the first time. Everytime someone says "I do" in Swahili, or when a Swahili speaker gives their last breath.
The way Swahili has been relegated as a crude language illustrates how Black Contributions have been swept under the rug to preserve the view of us being lesser than others. By staying true to ourselves, we dismantle this expectation everyday. We are pioneering progress, just like my Bantu ancestors of the past.
Leo de La huelga
Tamalpais High School

Angel the Gay Dinosaur
Gigi cannelora
Tamalpais High School

Motion
Rebecca Rudy
The Branson School
我想发⼤财, 春天花⼉开, ⿇将花⼀样。 巢有⼩⻦蛋。
春天的时候, 西北⻛不刮, 钱我都没有, 也没有头发。
每天去要饭, 现在天不蓝, 但我那么丑, 别⼈没帮我。
如果有机会, 打⿇将⼀次, 处处看很美, 云没藏亮⽇, 我⻢上不累–我们都同志!
Ben Mckinley
Tamalpais High School

Cory the Crying Camera
Io Kiyomi DallasKidd
San Domenico

Starstruck
Illusions


Hayao Miyazaki Portrait
"Hayao Miyazaki's work sparked my love for fantasy and animation, influencing my approach to story-building. Miyazaki said, "If I can entertain people, maybe I deserve to exist," illustrating how his movies are not just a form of expression but his reason to live. He also said, "You must push yourself until your nose starts bleeding." The characters pouring out of Miyazaki's head represent his intensity and devotion to his craft. Although his work is stressful, he still finds joy in it. I used vibrant watercolors to reflect the gentle, cheerful mood and sense of childhood wonder he feels and shares with his audience. Miyazaki's movies are more than just fiction; he ties them to his experiences. In his tears, I drew the characters he created to resemble his deceased mother to show his grief, admiration, and love for her."
Jess Lester
Tamalpais High School

Celestial Bloom in a Twisted Universe
Chris o’hara
Tamalpais High School

Identity
Anonymous

MORE 2024

