Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
It can be hard to feel part of community when you can’t physically be in community. However, organizations are stepping up to provide opportunities to connect virtually. To celebrate the wealth of online events out there, and to make content from these events accessible to folks who may not be able to virtually attend, AAOP is recapping 1-3 online opportunities each month! You can see our past and future recaps at http://aaopmn.org/tag/virtual-event-recap/
February 1-5 is Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. The BLM at School initiative is a national coalition working for racial justice in education. Their annual week of action aims to lay the groundwork for year-round organizing and solidarity work. Hundreds of Minnesota youth are leading and participating in events during the week, including many of our AAOP youth!
One Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action event was hosted by yoUthROC, a BIPOC-centered youth participatory research team from the University of Minnesota. “Storytelling as Ethnic Studies” was held the evening of February 2 and featured a panel filled with educators and students. yoUthROC members moderated a casual but thought-provoking conversation which brought forward insights about the intersection of education and activism, the power of storytelling, and the important role youth have to play in liberation movements.
“My entry point to activism started with people who invested knowledge in me, especially books. Through those different texts, I saw my identities affirmed.” said educator Ania Rae towards the start of the evening, reflecting on her experiences as a high school organizer. This idea: that access to knowledge and representation are crucial to activating youth, was repeated and expanded upon throughout the panelist’s discussion, connecting the evening’s conversation to the ongoing push for ethnic studies and educational equity in Minnesota.
“I think it [activism] really just starts with sharing…share your stories, share your opinions, share facts.” encouraged student Veyah Miller.
Veyah Miller themselves demonstrated the power of storytelling to move and inform later in the evening. They talked about their memories of participating in this summer’s uprisings in a raw and very memorable way, describing the experience of witnessing peaceful protests during the daylight hours morph into something that “felt like warfare, like Call of Duty” as darkness fell and standoffs between police, protesters, and rioters escalated. They also noted that long after international attention moved on from the streets of South Minneapolis, the community, especially youth of color, are still coming together and organizing for their neighborhoods.
Despite the clearly important role youth play in activism, they are a demographic whose voices are often ignored and whose power is often underestimated. Nearly all of the panelists talked about the need to change this paradigm, and to create a healthy environment for youth to lead and grow as organizers. Said Ania Rae “I don’t want our young people to feel like they have to undo the traumas of white supremacy.” Instead, youth organizing should be about tapping into joy and “figuring out what activism means to you. Where is your heart’s calling?”
Teacher and artist Melodee Strong agreed, highlighting the fact that each person should look within themselves to identify and proudly embrace their uniqueness. “Put the skills you have towards the movement, towards the revolution….Use [your] power to empower others.” Student Tymarion Storks added that the best way youth can contribute is by bringing their full selves and individual abilities to the table.
Youth, their voices, their stories: they are crucial and must be uplifted in order to achieve positive progress in all our communities. As Veyah Miller put it “They say we [youth] are the future, but we are also the present and the now.”
At AAOP, we couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. That’s why we center young Asian voices and young Asian power in all our work. With youth leading the way, there is nothing we can’t accomplish!
Sources:
Dernbach, Becky Z., “Everyone wants to close Minnesota’s achievement gap. Students say it starts with hiring more teachers of color.”, Sahan Journal, 27 Jan. 2021. https://sahanjournal.com/education/minnesota-teenagers-testify-teachers-of-color/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2021.
Lozenski, Brian and Hamilton, Jonathan, “The time for ethnic studies is now”, MinnPost, 2 Nov. 2020. https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2020/11/the-time-for-ethnic-studies-is-now/#:~:text=Ethnic%20studies%20is%20a%20critical,Minnesota’s%20struggle%20for%20racial%20equity.&text=We%20live%20in%20a%20racially,and%20politicians%20who%20support%20them. Accessed 3 Feb. 2021.
Photo Credit: yoUthROC
Special thanks to yoUthROC for allowing AAOP to attend and recap this event!
If you are interested in learning more, yoUthROC offered the following resources, which you are encouraged to check out:
https://blacklivesmatteratschool.com/
https://neaedjustice.org/put-your-community-on-the-2020-black-lives-matter-at-school-map/
For more 2021 Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action events: http://bit.ly/EdLibMN-BLMatSchool
Additionally, if you are interested in learning more about Ethnic Studies, check out our interview with Youth Ethnic Studies Coalition member Sylvia, who recently testified at a Minnesota House of Representatives Education Policy committee hearing: http://aaopmn.org/2021/01/27/spotlighting-asian-american-youth-activists-sylvia-member-of-the-youth-ethnic-studies-coalition/