Julie Andrews and Daughter Pen Article Advocating for the Arts
The icon and her daughter call on us to defend the arts in wake of Trump's proposed budget cuts.
The icon and her daughter call on us to defend the arts in wake of Trump's proposed budget cuts.
Text: Jacob Seferian
"What if there was one activity that could guarantee your kids would do better in school and cope well with life's challenges," is the opening question posed by film legend Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton-Hamilton, in an op-ed published on CNN.
The two have written several children books together, but are now combining their forces for a more serious task: an opinion piece advocating for the protection of arts education in light of Trump's proposed 2018 national budget, which would eliminate funding for several government agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts.
Citing different studies, Andrews and her daughter outline how youth involvement in the arts can lead to higher grades and all around improved educational engagement. Sharing both broad examples, as well as personal anecdotes from the pair's respective professional lives, of how the arts have enriched the lives of those who've interacted with it.
"We feel it has never been more critical to advocate for and support the arts," they write, rounding out with a call to action for all of us to, "do everything possible to preserve and advance this most precious and essential resource, and demand that our elected representatives do the same."
Read the full article here.
