Young Changemakers: Ava Holloway and Kennedy George
The current generation of youth are steadily maturing in a society saturated in technology, suffocated by a worldwide pandemic, and angered by nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. Despite it all, young changemakers like Ava Holloway and Kennedy George are learning to recognize and creatively exercise their power to shape a brighter future.
During the Black Lives Matter protests in Richmond, VA, the two fourteen-year-olds posed in a powerful photo in front of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s statue. Ava had originally arranged an appointment with photographer Marcus Ingram, but as she and Kennedy posed in front of the graffiti-covered monument with their fists firmly jutted in the air, several photographers began snapping pictures.
One photo, in particular, was shot by Julia Rendleman and quickly went viral, landing a spot in Reuters’ “Photos of the Month: June” and inspiring a cameo of the girls dancing in John Legend’s lyric video, “Never Break.”
The iconic photo emits strength, perseverance, and gracious beauty in the midst of chaos and in the name of change.
In collaboration with designer and illustrator Alice X. Zhang, the photo has been adapted into a charity art print, Duality, which can be purchased on Alice’s website. All proceeds from the print’s sales will be donated to the Ava Holloway and Kennedy George Scholarship for Change.
Ava and Kennedy have partnered with Brown Girls Do Ballet to create the year-long scholarship, which will provide funding for female dancers of color between the ages of 6-16. The scholarship will cover the costs of various dance expenses such as shoes, leotards, and travel.
Brown Girls Do Ballet founder TaKiyah Wallace explained how the concept behind this scholarship holds a special place in her heart. Brown Girls Do Ballet was inspired by a personal photography project she curated after struggling to find a diverse ballet studio for her daughter’s lessons. It has since developed into a charity and advocacy organization, assisting and supporting ballerinas of color nationwide.
Artwork: Alice X. Zhang
“[Brown Girls Do Ballet] started as a photo project, but it’s so much bigger than the images. The images are great because they jump out at you and they get your attention, but what draws people in is the story,” TaKiyah said, recalling the day she got behind the lens to shoot young ballerinas of color, all yearning to be seen.
She reflected on moments when parents came up to her in tears, expressing how meaningful it is to have opportunities like that - spotlighting positive images of black women outside of mainstream media. TaKiyah remembers people on the street stopping and watching the photoshoot in awe of the majestic ballerinas that posed.
“It is still kind of rare to see dancers of color in an image. I don’t know why,” she said.
It was then that she realized how important it was to create a platform that would not only produce more representation of young ballerinas of color but would also amplify and support the initiatives they are passionate about. In Ava and Kennedy’s case, they used their talent for dance to express their passion for activism.
When asked how she believes she can use dance to create change, Kennedy said, “I think dance just intrigues people and boosts people’s curiosity. It just allows a lot of people to get introduced to new things. The dance community is so supportive and so positive that they bring light to anything we bring them into. We just collaborate with a lot of things with dance, so it just makes everything better I believe.”
To watch the full interview on Instagram, click here.