LOS ANGELES — When Christopher Jackson and Wayne Brady take the stage at The Ford on Saturday, they’ll be sharing it with a group of young artists who are learning to use their talents to create change. The powerhouse performers both serve on the creative advisory board for the nonprofit 4C Lab, which was co-founded by self-described "artivist" Marissa Herrera.
“Art is a part of our resistance and our resilience,” she told a group of young dancers during a recent rehearsal.
A third generation Chicana born and raised in LA, Herrera spent more than two decades working in the entertainment industry. Growing up, her family didn’t have money for formal training, but she says she got her start as a dancer thanks to mentors who took her under their wing.
“I made the commitment that I wanted to be able to pave that way to give those same opportunities to other young people,” she explained. “And that’s why 4C Lab exists.”
The nonprofit organization is designed for creative visionaries, as she calls them — kids between 14 and 20 years old who have a passion for the arts and a desire to make a difference in their communities. In fact, community is one of the four Cs along with create, communicate and collaborate.
“They want their art to have a message,” Herrera said of the young people in the program. “They want to be a voice in their community to talk about things that they face in every day that are hard.”
Things like family separation, racial injustice, and for CSUN student Julia Curiel, an issue that’s never far from her mind.
“Something that’s been very important to me is gun violence,” she said. “Especially as a student, the fear of gun violence.”
Curiel and Ari Savannah Munoz of East LA are both passionate about dancing and say 4C Lab has helped them grow.
“A lot of young people feel voiceless, but art is a universal language,” Munoz said. “It’s a way of communicating feelings and thoughts that we all understand.”
In addition to giving young people a voice, Herrera says art also gives adults the opportunity to listen. She hopes Saturday’s audience will watch the performance and see why the arts matter in the lives of young people.
Looking over the room, she sees more than dancers. She says she sees leaders — not the leaders of tomorrow, but the leaders of today.
“I see courage. I see perseverance. I see succeeding against all odds,” Herrera explained. “We don’t know if we are going to solve the world’s problems in one night, but we are committed to moving the needle.”