JASMINE
RIVERA
FELLOW
Meet UnMapping Fellow Jasmine Rivera. Since 2009, Jasmine has been community organizing in the Philadelphia area. She’s worked on campaigns such as the passage of the Philadelphia Paid Sick Leave bill & ending police/ICE collaboration in both Philadelphia and Norristown. Most recently she celebrated the closure of the Berks County Detention Center as one of the co-founders and coordinators of the Shut Down Berks Coalition. She is currently the Chief of Staff at Pennsylvania Voice. A two-time Leeway Foundation Art & Change Grantee, she curated the art exhibit “Queremos Justicia: How We Shut Down Berks.” She is working on a book and further exhibit on the Berks closure (presented in both Spanish and English) to address the “dire need to not only document but celebrate our victories.”
COLOR
AND CALM
“A piece of art that I have carried with me from home to home since meeting her in college is The Flaming June. The first time I saw her I was struck by the gorgeous orange, how intense and vibrant the color is, and how the light and shadows of the fabric are exquisitely painted. All of this contrasted by how peaceful and serene she is, asleep in this somewhat vulnerable curled up position in what appears to be a warm or tropical land. She's been an inspiration for not only beauty but also rest in my life, which is why she can always be found in my bedroom.”