Featured photo: Artivist Tyana Williams and Coach/Artivist Keith Smith
Photos by Tanya Terry
Written by Jameca Patrick-Singleton
Artivism is the act of using creative expression to create change and social action. In this two-part segment we will explore artivism in Flint, MI and what it means to the world around us.
Coach Keith Smith is a high school girls basketball coach by day. Leading the Hamady High girls’ team, who are also known as the Lady Hawks to the Final Four eight times and securing state championships twice. Smith stated that his favorite part about coaching is seeing his players use the skills that they learn on the court as an avenue to get into college.
When he is not coaching basketball, Smith is perfecting his musical craft and using his art to bring awareness to social issues that plague many in the Black community. One such song, that he and one of his players and fellow Artivist Tyana Williams published is called “Another Down” and can be heard on YouTube.
Smith stated that the 2020 protests that followed the killing of George Floyd caused him to start thinking about a childhood friend William Taylor, who was killed by Flint police on July 8, 1980, sparking change to the Flint Police Department’s deadly force policy. According to an MLIVE article published July 8, 2020 and updated January 19, 2021 William Taylor Jr., an unarmed 15 year-old Black teen, was shot and killed by Flint police who were responding to an alleged attempted burglary in the early morning hours of July 8, 1980. Smith stated that he wanted the family of Taylor to know that Flint has not forgotten about him, and though there was a policy change in this case, he and other artivists like Williams will never stop using their voices to shed light on issues that plague communities of color.
The 2020 protests are in large part what influenced Williams decision to use her music for activism.
“It feels good to be part of a powerful message, a movement,” she expressed. “I just want to make sure that the message is received and just not heard. People can just hear anything but to receive something is to understand it. We’ve been crying for a long time but things seem to not really change. It’s time for more than just hearing us, receive us.”
Artivism is the act of using creative expression to create change and social action.
Smith followed up by saying: “Hip hop is powerful; we need change. We just want to share our love for the community through our message.”
