Activists x Academics
Join Teens Take Charge and the UCLA Civil Rights Project for a youth-planned, virtual summit focused on racial justice in K-12 public schools. The Activist x Academics summit is an opportunity for anyone interested in racial justice in public education to hear from both student activists and adult leaders. On Saturday, February 13th, 2021 adults and youth from across the country are welcome to join and learn from spoken word from TTC, multiple panelists, a lunch talk, and more!
Press Release
For immediate release
February 11, 2021
Youth education activists and leading scholars team up for national summit on racial justice in public schools
NEW YORK, NY to LOS ANGELES, CA — Youth education activists representing nearly twenty organizations from across the country are joining forces with leading writers and scholars Saturday, Feb. 13 for a virtual summit on racial equity in the nation’s public schools.
Co-hosted by Teens Take Charge and The Civil Rights Project at UCLA, “Activists x Academics” will feature youth working to create more integrated, equitable, restorative, affirming school systems that give students real power in decision making.
“For those who were unaware of the deep inequities that exist in our nation before, the pandemic has further exposed them. This summit will serve to remind us all that there is a bigger team with us fighting for the same end goal,” says Elsabet Franklin, organizer with Teens Take Charge. “It will remind youth activists to continue the fight for the students all over the country who aren’t getting an equal and meaningful education, and it will provide opportunities to learn directly from the youth who are so often ignored and the adults who have committed their lives to similar goals.”
New York Times Magazine writer and 1619 Project founder Nikole Hannah-Jones headlines a list of about a dozen writers and scholars who will moderate panels or deliver short talks throughout the day. Gary Orfield, co-director of The Civil Rights Project, will open the summit with a keynote address revealing new data on school segregation. Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, will deliver a closing charge.
At a time of unprecedented disconnect and uncertainty, teen activists have continued to organize for a more equitable future.
“At our research center we admire the work of students struggling for racial justice and integration and we are proud to cosponsor this important conference of researchers and activists organized by young people who have a powerful vision for a better society,” says Orfield from UCLA’s Civil Rights Project.
Youth presenters include representatives from activist groups across the nation, including Youth on Board (Boston), Tulsa Changemakers, Youth Justice Project (Durham), Rosedale Freedom Project (Mississippi), and many more. In addition to Hannah-Jones, Ifill, and Orfield, adult speakers include Cornell professor Noliwe Rooks, activist Jo Ann Allen Boyce of the “Clinton 12,” San Antonio school district innovation officer Mohammed Choudhury, and more.
“The Activist x Academics Summit is the perfect way to gather all the change-makers, advocates, and leaders, that aspire to create unity, to come together and inspire each other through examples of their growth, legacy, and adaptation,” says Sahil Bhandari, member of the Colorado Youth Congress. “Unification cannot be done alone, the Activist x Academics Summit is just the first step to a better and united future.”
The summit will run from 11am-5:30pm EST. All sessions, except for the Lunch Talks, will be “webinar style” with options to communicate with panelists and ask questions through the chat function. Attendees will have the option of choosing from several Lunch Talks, which will be interactive.
For important links, complete schedule, headshots and bios of all presenters, and more, check out the official materials for the event, including the program, videos and more.
Contact:
Sophie Mode
Teens Take Charge
(917) 912-0076
Elsabet Franklin
Teens Take Charge
(929) 383-3755
John McDonald
UCLA Civil Rights Project
About Teens Take Charge and the UCLA Civil Rights Project
Teens Take Charge
Teens Take Charge is a student led organization that fights against school segregation in the New York City public school system. Founded in 2017, TTC started working towards integrating one of the most diverse cities in the world. Students from over 30 schools get together to advocate for each other and use the resources that TTC provides to share their experience in the school system. Experiences are shared at official hearings, meetings with policy makers, major news outlets, and more. Over 60 students have continued doing the work during the pandemic, meeting weekly on zoom. Split into different campaigns, students work to address discrimination, homelessness, sexual harassment, and abolish screens within high schools.
The Civil Rights Project at UCLA
The UCLA Civil Rights Project works to “renew the civil rights movement by bridging the worlds of ideas and action.” Researching issues of civil rights in the United States today, the UCLA Civil Rights Project has come out with hundreds of studies. The CRP did research on school segregation in the US finding out that though NYC is one of the most diverse cities, it had the most segregated public school system. This conclusion was one of the motivators to the founding of Teens Take Charge.