Our actions Matter

2024@ Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

This community mural was created with participants from the CUYO camp at the Afro Caribbean Cultural Center in Waterbury, CT, focused on the topic of Online Abuse and Virtual Civic Responsibility.

As a starting point, we reflect on the impact of virtual spaces in our lives. Social media and online presence have been taking on an increasingly important role in daily life. Still, it is very easy for many to separate the virtual from the in-person and not maintain the same social norms in both spaces. Abuse in virtual spaces is a problem that disproportionately affects women, with an even greater incidence against black and brown women. With all this in mind, we set out to create a mural that would help raise awareness and educate about online abuse and our relationships with virtual spaces.

On the far right of the mural, we can see a figure removing, peeling off or disconnecting with her hands a shiny knot that covers her face. Alluding to the cybernetic world and the attachment we have. In the background, we can see a metaverse that unfolds, where the hands play at unraveling or knotting the cybernetic thread. Referring to the fact that our actions matter. Finally, on the far left, we have two hands caressing each other. These remind us that, although virtual spaces have taken a very important role in our lives, physical contact is important.

We hope that this mural reminds us that we must take care of each other both in physical spaces and online. Our words and actions have an impact, and we must remember that we can be active bystanders and defend those who suffer harm online.