Free All Bodies - Chalking

Alice Lopez

SOC 122

The chalking for many came at a surprise which meant we had to think on our feet as to what we wanted to present to the public. We discussed briefly the message we wanted to send out and each member in F.A.B. chose a statistic to chalk on the ground. The location that we chose was one where students would see our message: outside the library near all the organization booths. We didn't monitor each other as to how each design should look so there was a variety of design sizes. I chose a statistic that entailed drawing a large graph with an arrow going upwards; the statistic described how human trafficking is one of the largest growing international crimes. I've always noticed chalked designs; therefore, I knew that the larger the drawing, the easier it is to catch the attention of those going by.

While the groups were chalking many students stopped and asked what we were doing it for and paid attention to the designs that were being drawn. So it can be argued that the chalking was effective for advertising our causes, especially since there were a lot more students who seen our designs the next day. Unfortunately, many of the groups' designs got washed out within 2 days since there is high traffic outside the library. Personally, the troubles I had with the chalking were just a few. The first was a minor issue of groups not having enough notice to brainstorm designs to choose. The second was that in order to effectively draw a large chalking design, we needed a few more boxes of chalk. With the graph that I created I used up about 3 pieces of chalk. My last issue was the designs being washed away so quickly. It is understandable that the piece will eventually fade away; however, something occurred that they completely got washed away within the 2 days. My solution for these problems would to give a week notice before chalking, buy 4-6 more boxes of chalk, and the last problem can't be solved since it is inevitable.

Overall, the chalking was a great experience and it was something different that I had never done. As a group we were all involved and had a great time promoting our cause.