I'm So Angry I Made a Sign...

Boorlooo Justice is a grassroots organisation run by First Nations and POC youth that are campaigning the Black Lives Matter Movement in Western Australia. The group is passionate about activism and reconnecting with community in an intersectional and inclusive way.

Boorloo is a Noongar word for the stolen land we now call Perth, Western Australia.

After a tumultuous year that started with devastating bushfires, followed by a global pandemic, anti-racism protests and a contentious United States election, Perth based cultural organisation Community Arts Network (CAN) held a Day of Demonstration to bring artists and community workers together to reflect on 2020.

CAN approached Boorloo Justice to share their protest skills at a workshop dedicated to art and activism. We called it I’m so angry, I made a sign.

Sign making is a form of self expression. It’s putting all your emotions and feelings onto a sign and holding it with a sense of self, support and solidarity. It is telling your own narrative and perspective. It’s a small blip of all your feelings, into a few words.

Coming together in protest creates a sense of community and strength. It goes against the colonial values of divide and conquer - coming together to achieve greatness and having a shared goal is the most pure act of passionate defiance.

1. Cardboard of any size, shape or colour (hold onto those recycled boxes!)
2. Acrylic paint
3. A cause and a bit of tenacity

Think about what's important to you and, most importantly, why. Consider any key messaging from the campaign you're supporting - but get creative.

Craft a direct, catchy tagline, and paint it onto your sign. Think about different ways to approach your message. You can use puns and humour - brainstorm ideas with your friends. Or, look for pop culture references and any slogans or chants that already form part of the campaign or movement you're protesting for. Or, you might want to make your sign more confronting, using hard statistics or evocative quotes or images. Use hashtags to spread the message further and help others connect.

Think about how to make your sign as visible as possible - it needs to be bold, eye-catching, iconic. You can use colour, imagery or other decoration (like glitter!) to make your sign stand out.