United Hearts of America — A Community Heart Project

by Ed King Pop Art

I believe education should be the number one priority of every American citizen. The state of our education system in this country has given me pause to reflect on the fact that the rhetoric expressed by those who lead us does not match the effort in building and sustaining a world class educational system for our children. Bottom line, access to a quality education will be the next civil rights issue of our time.

I've decided to take matters into my own hands. I am creating an army of citizen artists for my new project, "The United Hearts of America." On April 9 & 10, my troops will assemble in Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. Armed with paint brushes and a healthy love for education, these citizen artists will paint four huge American flags comprised fully of hearts. They will also video tape a message to the president about why he should show his love for education. The finished heart flags and videos will be delivered to the white house, congress, and the secretary of education.

This artistic incursion will capture the imagination and courage of the community while showing our political leaders the political buy in that their constituency has in education. This art project is democracy in action -- an artistic creation of the people, by the people, and for the people.

What's more, this educational incursion will continue on the internet with a virtual map of each heart flag. People will be able to explore the flags, click on each heart and see the videos of the event participants. Each heart can be linked to YouTube, Facebook, and other social media sites for a viral growth of this unique community project.

Victory is ours -- Education will prevail.