Kerry Kennedy walked up to the front of the classroom and started off by asking our students a big question, “What are Human Rights?”

At first our students were shy, which is understandable. Kerry Kennedy is an amazing human rights activist who has worked in over 60 countries and led hundreds of delegations exposing injustices and educating audiences around the world. She is the President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, activist and a bestselling author. The RFK Center strives to fulfill Robert F. Kennedy’s vision of a just and peaceful world by partnering with human rights leaders, teaching social justice and advancing corporate responsibility.  Kerry Kennedy’s life is truly a testament to the promotion and protection human rights. We were shy too!

Then Academy for Peace and Justice 11th  grader, Peterson Plaisir, stood up
and answered Kerry Kennedy’s question with ” Human rights are not only a code to live by and an aspiration to strive for”, and effectively started a conversation that blew us all away.

The mood that moved through the room was electric.  Every student had their hands raised or were scribbling down notes , listing their  personal human rights heroes, their dreams, and their questions  for Kerry Kennedy such as “What  hardships in your life have you had to overcome and  how have they inspired you to continue your work?” Kerry and our students connected when she shared her personal story of how tragic losses in her family motivated her from the time she was small to expose injustice, right wrong and teach change.

Then together Father Rick Frechette, Kerry Kennedy started a human rain storm. She divided the students into sections asking them to snap, clap, slap their thighs and stomp their feet sending prayers and rain to those suffering from the terrible drought in South Sudan.

Thank you to Kerry Kennedy, The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, Father Rick Frechette, The St. Luke Foundation, and Madeleine Stowe for such a moving experience. It was an inspiring visit for all our students at the Academy for Peace and Justice and Kerry herself. 

Cover image credit: KEHINDE WILEY “The Sisters Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte (The World Stage: Haiti)” 2014 Archival inkjet print on Epson Hot Press Bright 300 grain paper Paper 27.5 x 22 inches Image 21.321 x 16 inches Edition of 30 Publisher: The Lapis Press, Culver City, California Courtesy of the artist and Roberts & Tilton, Culver City, California

Artists for Peace and Justice is excited to announce that the special edition print from Kehinde Wiley’s exhibition The World Stage: Haiti  is SOLD OUT!

After visiting our college for art and technology in Jacmel earlier this spring, Kehinde Wiley decided to generously create a limited run of signed, special edition print of The Sisters Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte (The World Stage: Haiti) with 100% of proceeds going to Ciné Institute to build a brand new computer lab!

The World Stage: Haiti is part of a larger global and cultural survey in which Kehinde Wiley examines the socioeconomic conditions and local culture of a nation through the eyes of everyday people. Celebrating natural beauty, dignity, and strength, the exhibition draws on Haiti’s revolutionary history and its rich and varied religious and artistic traditions.

Stay tuned for more information about the brand new computer lab!

Here at APJ, we strive for the best. We’re constantly growing, getting bigger and better because that’s what our students deserve. This March, we are extremely proud and excited to announce Artists Institute’s first call for student applications!

The Artists Institute is a free college for art and technology located in Jacmel, Haiti. The Institute creates modern opportunities for Haiti’s underprivileged youth to foster entrepreneurship and business development in local Haitian creative industries. The Institute currently offers programs in film through Ciné Institute, as well as in music production and audio engineering through Audio Institute: We Are the World School of Music and Audio Engineering. Each division offers programs in training, employment and professional support.

Ciné Institute is Haiti’s first and only professional film school. Staff, students, supporters, and sponsors are developing Haiti’s film industry by bringing together local and international leaders in cinema and education to train and support young Haitian storytellers and technicians. The Institute creates hundreds of local jobs each year for graduates and community members, servicing renowned local and international clients. Ciné Institute is proud and thankful to be supported by film industry leaders such as Ben Stiller, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Sean Penn, and Jonathan Demme.

Audio Institute is Haiti’s first and only professional school of music production and audio engineering. The centerpiece of Audio Institute is a magnificent, world-class recording studio where students receive hands-on experience and renowned artists visit for sessions and collaborations! Funding seed capital for the Institute generously provided by Quincy Jones’ and Lionel Richie’s  We Are The World Foundation  and inspired by their amazing spirit of international brotherhood and social change through music.

Tune into Artists Institute today !