Photographs by John Watts and Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts
In the celebration of Juneteenth becoming a national holiday,“The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when PresidentJoe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law[7] (Wikipedia)”, I would like to congratulate the event by posting the, All Black Lives Matter, mural on Halsey Street, Newark, NJ. The mural is located in front of Hahne & Company building. It is in the same block as our building. On Saturday, June 27, 2020, John and I step out of our building, seeing people working on the mural. We both ran inside the house and took our equipment; John had his camera and I had my camcorder to record in video and photographs. John was very clever; he went onto the flat roof of our building and was able to view and take photographs of the whole length of the mural. I videoed and photographed the event on the street from the beginning to the end of the mural. We enjoyed seeing the activity. All types of people, Black, White, Brown and others joining together to accomplish the meaningful mural “All Black Lives Matter”.
For the occasion of the “All Black Lives Matter” mural, which was in the process of being made, I asked my husband, John Watts to display my two artworks of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi on our shop gate. Both of these great leaders were practitioners of equal rights and non-violence which was the essence of the event.
This is a lady who lives in one of the Hahne’s apartments. Her living room is opposite our building, and she came down to view my artworks close up.
The mural was successfully achieved. Everyone who participated was happy. The mural is the evidence of all humanity organizing and helping one another. This expresses a need to accomplish the same goal as Equal Rights for all, recognizing that no person or race, should be abused or treated as less valued than others.
John Watts and Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts, Wednesday, June 29, 2021
LGBTQ Youths Comment on Ing’s Peace Project & the
Photographs at Military Park on Friday, June 28, 2019
I took my grandson to ride his bicycle in the park on Friday, June 28, 2019, I saw two models, photographers and others. They were taking pictures for the LGBTQ events by Wisetastie Productions. Gmail: wisetastie@gmail.com
Shadow of Peace and LGBTQ youths
from Hetrick-Martin Institute in Newark, NJ, comments on “What does Peace
mean to you?” during fall and winter 2012, organized by Gabriela C. Celeiro,
bilingual counselor. Finished artwork, after the written comments
by Ing-On Vibulbhan-Watts
Organized by Gabriela C. Celeiro, Bilingual Counselor
I love flowers, they are
beautiful. I wait for the weather to change till spring then I can go to
my backyard garden. I cultivate my garden seeing the plants rising and
growing each day. Then the magic will come when the flowers show up to
greet me. I can spend hours in my little garden. To keep the beauty
of these flowers in winter when I long to see them I take a lot of
pictures. Thanks to the evolution of digital cameras I can take the
photographs and print to give to friends or make a slide show or movie.
When I sat wanting
to compose the finished artwork from the LGBTQ youth comments poster I thought
of something beautiful. I want this group of youths to feel beautiful just
like my beautiful flowers. When we feel beautiful then we feel good.
As long as we feel happy we can do a lot of things no matter what some
people say.
Below are the sections
of my finished artwork that show the written comments from the LGBTQ youth on
“What does Peace mean to you?” on my Peace Project Poster that accompanies
beautiful flower images that I took from our backyard garden.
You
Are Beautiful
Life
is precious
Life
is short
Enjoy
as much as you can
Try
to be independent
But
ask when you need help
Help
yourself as much as you can
And
help the others as much as you can
That
is life
As
long as you try your best
Then
you will be worthwhile
Be
kind and be happy
Because
you are beautiful
We
are all beautiful
And
we are all equal
Lead
your life in a harmonious and peaceful way
Because
you are beautiful to me
Ing-On
Vibulbhan-Watts, Thursday, March 28, 2013, 10:25 pm
Appreciate
simple things around you
Minimize
luxury life styles
Be
more concerned with conservation
Be generous and kind
Remove
ill thought
Broaden your knowledge
Learn
and do your best
Understand things beyond yourself
If
you are still dissatisfied
Then
sleep and after your rest
Try
again the next day
Ing-On
Vibulbhan-Watts, Saturday, February 9, 2013, 4:38 pm
Equality
for All
There
will be no Peace
Without
equality
If
the scale of justice
Is
unbalanced
There
are always reasons for oppressors
To
put others down
At
one time women could not own property
And
could not vote
And
slaves of all races could be sold like cattle
And
others historically were also treated wickedly
Humanity
has evolved
Using
our brains and our knowledge
To
progress and change
Change
we must!
Equality
is balance
Human
Rights is for all
And
equality is for all
This
will bring peace to the world
Ing-On
Vibulbhan-Watts, Friday, March 29, 2013, 12:03 am
I am glad to know Gabby. I
appreciate her help bringing my Peace Project to the LGBTQ youth. I even
more appreciate her enthusiastic helping to educate the youth. It
requires a special kind of person to undertake the work that she does.
Thanks for the
attachments. I do love your composition about the LGBTQ youth. Your
writing helps the readers to understand the lives of this group of youths and
how they can get themselves into bad situations and become homeless. My
love and my heart go out to these youths. The help that you and your
organization offer to these youngsters is to be complimented and should be
recognized as a good example for others to follow.
I am glad that you have
the finished peace project artwork framed and exhibited.
Please let me know if
you would like to work on my peace project with the new classes and the new
group of youngsters again.
I hope you enjoy your
summer. Please stop by when you are near our shop.
All the
best,
Ing
PS. I hope you do not mind;
I posted your responses to my email on my website.
7.4.2013
The Hetrick-Martin Institute believes all young people, regardless of sexual orientation
or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve
their full potential. Hetrick-Martin creates this environment for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth between the ages of 12 and
24 and their families.
Through a comprehensive package of
direct services and referrals, Hetrick-Martin seeks to foster healthy youth
development. Hetrick-Martin’s staff promotes excellence in the delivery of
youth services and uses its expertise to create innovative programs that other
organizations may use as models.
HMI:Newarkis based on the services
for LGBTQ youth operated for over 30 years by the Hetrick-Martin Institute
inNew York City. Offering counseling and crisis management, health and wellness
programming, academic enrichment, job readiness and arts and cultural
programming, HMI has implemented its first out-of-state direct service program.
Provides after-school services to
LGBTQ youth in the City of Newark
•Mental Health & Supportive
Services: support groups for youth-related issues including relationships and
“coming out.”
•Health & Wellness: health
education groups and referrals for HIV testing, provided by community partners.
•Arts & Culture Programs:
service learning programs with a focus on leadership and team building.
Provides a safe and supportive
environment for Newark’s LGBTQ youth to reach their full potential
•By collaborating with family and
other support systems, we work to engage youth in their own growth and
development and get them involved as responsible citizens of their community.
•Available to young people and their
families.
•Open weekdays 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm,
year round.
•Open to youth between the ages of
12 to 21.
HMI: Newark (A Demographic
Snapshot)
•Multi-ethnic: 42% African
Americans, 27% Latin , 4% Caucasian, 4% West Indian, & 22% Other.
•Serve youth fromNewark, the
greaterEssexCounty, and beyond.
•Educational status comprising youth
from Junior High: 9%, High School: 82%, College: 7%, & Out of School: 2%.
•53% high school graduates
with 47% youth attending college next year.
HMI: Newark
Located in the Rutgers T.E.E.M.
Gateway/YES Center
200 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07101
For more information, please
contact Juan Williams, LMSW, Site Supervisor, HMI: Newark at jwilliams@hmi.org
or 347-501-2930.
Our Programs & Services
After
School Programs
Year-round, in a safe, supportive
environment, the Hetrick-Martin Institute’s After-School Services Department
provides its youth members (whether they are enrolled in school or not) a wide
range of group activities designed to develop social and interpersonal skills
and build confidence. Last year our After-School Department reached more than
2,000 LGBTQ youth and their families.
Arts and Culture programs foster self-expression through dance, film,
photography, painting, theater, and more.
Health and Wellness programs range from hands-on instruction in how to
cook healthy meals to learning more about STDs, fighting stress, and preventing
HIV.
Academic Enrichment programs help our LGBTQ youth prep for college, do
computer training, get help with homework, or join a book club (among countless
activities).
From the first moment a young person
enters HMI, one of our team of professional Supportive Services counselors is
there to:
Assess the safety of each youth.
Offer assistance in getting a meal at Café HMI, getting
clothing from our pantry, and finding housing.
Provide counseling sessions based on individual needs.
Individual, group, and family counseling are available.
Make referrals to LGBTQ-sensitive agencies.
Provide an opportunity for youth to develop and
strengthen the skills necessary to move toward self-sufficiency,
self-acceptance, and personal success.
Be a part of their care and their family.
Internships
HMI Youth Members can take their involvement
to the next level through our paid-internship and experiential programs. Learn More
HMI can not accept electronic
information from users under the age of 13. For more information please read our
privacy policy.
Advocacy and Capacity Building
Advocacy: Educating Decision Makers
on Issues Affecting LGBTQ Youth; Providing a voice for those who often go
unheard.
HMI Staff works to provide information and best practices to address the needs
of the often disconnected population working with policy makers, government
institutions and the community-at-large, advocating on the behalf of LGBTQ
youth and those that support them.
Capacity Building: Training and
Resources With over 3 decades of
experience, HMI takes its best practices in LGBTQ youth service delivery
on the road! We offer workshops, trainings and seminars in how
to serve this unique population. Our trained staff will work with you and
your organization or community to provide a custom-designed training that
meets your specific needs. Workshop topics include, “Building Inclusive
Communities,” “Understanding Human Sexuality and Gender Identity,” “Working
with LGBTQ Adolescents,” and much more.
These photos taken at the Astoria NYC, street art festival, are intended to reflect a relationship between the art, the people and their environment. I view street art as an ongoing theatrical event requiring all three elements to become a truly complete experience.
John and I went to Astoria, Queens, NYC, New York on the previous Sunday, June 26, 2016 to view the latest murals. We enjoyed walking about seeing murals on 30 Street, 12 Street and Welling Court by Astoria Boulevard. I was very happy to see some artists produced Peace artwork. We arrived about 2 P.M., the sun was very hot. We cannot see the pictures on our equipment screens that well. I tried my best to capture the murals that we viewed We only viewed a small part of murals. We decided to return home and will come back again to view more murals in different areas.
There were some people taking pictures of the murals.
I intended to walk across the street to view the murals on the other side of the road but I noticed the reflection of part of the mural with the peace sign artwork on the car window. I realized that there is another mural on a wall inside of a gated property.
I came back and tried to photograph the mural. I could not capture the mural in full view because of the gate blocking it.
Luckily my cheap camcorder is small enough to go through the space between the gate bars. I tried my best to capture the whole image. But I only got part of the mural.
I was glad I was able to at least capture the full peace sign.
Thanks to the artist who produced this peace mural. I wish I could have gotten his or her full name.
These murals are on the opposite side of the street from the peace murals that I have shown above.
A group of tourists came to view the murals. Thanks to all the artists who produced the artworks. I love graffiti or street art because most of the artists wish to convey their thought and express them in a form of artwork in public for other people to view, to feel, and to think, no matter if you agree or disagree. But the artists activate people’s brains to think. Sometimes this may tickle the conscious of the viewer to absorb more information from the artwork. Most graffiti or street art subjects are expressions of a present time which one can use as a chronicle of history in this specific time and place. Eventually these artworks or murals will be gone if they are in the changing hands of property owners who want to demolish properties for other business ventures.
John pointed out to the lady photographer that the damaged car is a useful object to compose a photo looking through the mangled window to view the painted fire hydrant.
I will post John’s photographs in the next project. It is interesting to see the difference in composition of individual photographers traveling the same path.
This person seemed to be interested in taking photos of the remains of the crashed vehicle. I felt sad to see the result of such a tragedy. I hope the person or persons in the car survived.
This person is very smart; he used his bike to ride to more places to view murals. He could travel longer distances, and be less tired compared to traveling by walking.
For the occasion of the “All Black Lives Matter” mural, which was in the process of being made, I asked my husband, John Watts to display my two artworks of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi on our shop gate. Both of these great leaders were practitioners of equal rights and non-violence which was the essence of the event. 
