The Atlas Within

[sound of pen tapping on a notebook and distant talking in the background]

Sid: Ezra?

Ezra: Yeah.

Ollie: Let me get the mic out of my pocket.

[sound of a button clicking]

Sid: It’s okay. Something feels off. Feels shallow.

Ollie: Maybe we’re asking the wrong questions?

[upbeat music]

[sound of metal locker opening]

Ollie: Here’s the deal. We’re trying to make a difference, and we want decision-makers to see why change matters. So we’re using journalism. Our cameras, our mics, and our voice to tell real stories about what’s actually happening around here and what students can make happen when we work together to make our school work for us. We just need to figure out how to make our videos actually mean something.

[sound of metal locker closing]

Mr. Ramos: When we say identity, we don’t mean just one label. Identity has layers. There’s how you see yourself and how others see you. It’s the inside stuff. Your memories, beliefs. How you see yourself. Then there’s the outside stuff. How others see you. Your family, culture, language, race, and your neighborhood. Then there’s what you choose to do with all that.

Mr. Ramos: Let’s look at changemakers in our city. This project is called Alta and features a collection of portraits and voices of notable people in Los Angeles who are making a difference. For example, this portrait of Jamal James Hill, a Paralympic swimmer. Then here is Genesis Marie Butler, an animal and environmental activist. Let’s listen to Sandino Gonzalez Flores, a musician and activist.

Mr. Ramos: As you listen, list down any inside, outside, or chosen factors to Sandino’s identity.

[strumming guitar]

Sandino: Hola, me llamo Sandino González Flores. Soy músico Chicano, y mi raíces musicales vienen de.... My name is Sandino Gonzalez Flores. I’m a Chicano musician, and I am rooted musically in the traditions of my ancestors. Being Chicano and growing up in Los Angeles is such a specific sociopolitical experience and identity. There’s nothing like it. There’s so much evidence of both sides of the culture. We’re in this in-between as Chicanos. It’s like we’re American, but we’re also Mexican, and we’re just as much one as the other. But we’re not really either. There’s a term, Nepantla, in Nahuatl; it means in between.

Sandino: And that’s what Chicano people use to describe their state of being. And I think that’s really beautiful.

Ollie: Now, this is what I want from our videos. But how?

Mr. Ramos: When Sandino talks about being “in between,” he’s discussing what it’s like to move between the culture that has the most power and the culture that feels like home. And then there’s the part that you choose. Your actions, how you show up, what you stand for.

Sid: So who counts as a changemaker? I always thought changemakers were people in history books.

Ollie: Or people who notice what’s not working and decide to do something about it. We see leadership every day.

Sid: Even in us.

[Upbeat music]

Ollie: Maybe we can’t tear down and rebuild the cafeteria, but we can change it.

[sound of a button clicking]

Alex: I started a poll, and I’m hoping we can take it all the way up to the principal.

[sound of a button clicking]

Ezra: That will draw attention to the fact that we want change, and we could use it to raise funds.

[sound of a button clicking]

[sounds of pencils writing and post-it note peeling off a page]

Ollie: Alta mapped the city by interviewing people and capturing their life stories.

Sid: So let’s try that.

[inspiring music]

Ollie: Okay. So, Ezra.

Ezra: Yes.

Ollie: What is your earliest memory of music?

Ezra: My mom used to play these old records from my grandpa. I don’t really remember the exact song, but the beat stuck in my brain. I think that’s why I joined the jazz band. Because the band keeps me going. You know, I feel like I’m a part of the beat.

Sid: Got it. Do you want to take a look? Dude, that wasn’t just about music. It was identity.

Ollie: I think this is what we’ve been missing. So identity isn’t just one thing. It’s the inside stuff. Memories, feelings, beliefs, and the outside stuff. Family. Culture. Language. Community.

Sid: Yeah.

Ollie: And the choices you make. What you fight for, what you show up for.

Sid: And you know, we are changemakers too, who fight for our classmates and show up to make things better. Here. Watch this.

Ezra: Music gives me hope.

Ellen: Everyone should feel like they belong here.

Alex: I’m asking students which classes actually matter to them.

Sid: Think they’ll get it?

Ollie: Yeah, because they’ll get to see our whole selves, not just our demands. To make something meaningful, it helps to recognize who people are and what they care enough about to act on.