PROFILES
Critical Exposure
Washington, DC
by Julie Kippenbrock, 16
Critical Exposure, based in Washington, D.C., thinks a picture is worth a thousand words and so much more.
Heather Rieman and Adam Levner founded Critical Exposure in 2004 after realizing that government officials make decisions about schools and funding without even seeing the individual schools or youth involved. By equipping students with digital cameras, they are able to highlight conditions at their schools that need attention. Their photos are used to lobby for excellence and equity in public schools.
The organization started in Baltimore but also has involved youth in Washington D.C.; Austin, Texas; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Philadelphia. Not only are the students’ pictures used to impress upon politicians the need for change, but they are featured in traveling exhibits to increase public awareness of conditions in public schools.
Currently, Critical Exposure is working on two main projects. One is in the District of Columbia, where public schools have a high dropout rate and youth are illustrating what makes students stay in school and what makes them leave. The other is in New Orleans, where students have returned after Hurricane Katrina.
“They came up with a student’s Bill of Rights for the types of schools they believe all students deserve,” Rieman said.
Demetrius Curington, 16, was among a group of students who took photos of problems at their schools in Washington, D.C. The photos were the focal point of two student rallies, which were a huge success. “We didn’t think anybody was going to show up,” explained Demetrius.
How would you describe the work you did with Critical Exposure?
We were in school taking pictures of stuff, what was wrong with our school, what we didn’t like about it. Just important things. I myself took a picture of some kids that were sneaking from class; I think that’s a problem. We did good work.
What did you learn besides how to take photos?
It helped me learn about other people’s schools besides my own. It let me know it was just not my school that is having problems, just not my neighborhood that is going through stuff. It really helped get the word out for people to see what’s going in our community and our school.
Why is photography a good medium for youth?
I think that everybody likes to take pictures. It gave everybody responsibilities —you are responsible for a camera, you are responsible to take pictures and know what to take pictures of. You have a freedom, and I guess youth like to have some type of freedom.
Philadelphia Student Union
Philadelphia, PA
by Jake Thornburgh, 16
The Philadelphia Student Union was founded in 1995 by a group of students concerned about the quality of their educations. Soon, other neighborhood students joined in search of better supplies, teachers and environments at their schools.
The union’s membership comes largely from north and west Philadelphia schools and charter schools. Students organize not only to effect changes in their own schools, but also to improve conditions in all city schools. In particular, they have banded together to reduce the dropout rate in urban Philadelphia, which is about 50 percent.
Members meet with other students, then take their concerns to school boards, superintendents, business leaders and the media. About 3,500 students have been through the union’s leadership program.
In addition, the union broadcasts the city’s only youth-led radio station. It also makes use of other media (Web, blogs, video, print) to raise concerns and rally support.
Khalis Dobson and Phillip Pierce are two high school students who have been active with many of the union’s campaigns. Khalis, now a senior, started with the union three years ago, while Phillip has been active for seven years.
How would you describe your work?
KHALIS: I think the work at the Philadelphia Student Union is the developing of young leaders. Specifically when I came in my ninth grade year, I felt like I already knew a lot about what was going on. I knew exactly what was going on in my school, but I never had the opportunity to discuss it. (Now) I’m not only part of the discussions going on in my school, but I also have my opinion respected and have been given the tools to go about making the actual change in my school.
What specific projects are you working on?
KHALIS: We were successful in advocating for getting West Philadelphia High School a new building because West Philadelphia High School has been open for over 90 years now so it’s about time we got a new building.
PHILLIP: We have a bunch of campaigns going on across the board with our organization. We’re doing teacher quality and teacher equity campaign, which is a campaign about making sure that we have equitable distribution of teachers, and they make sure that people that are involved within the contract negotiations, which are going on right now, speak to the direct issue of equitable distribution.
Have there been some frustrations in your work?
KHALIS: I think one of the constant criticisms is that the youth don’t know what they’re talking about. In just about every meeting I’ve ever been to, it’s assumed that either I don’t know what I’m talking about, or I’m too young to understand what’s going on, or I’ll find out later down the line that what I’m saying is wrong, or that what I’m saying is not coming from me, that somebody’s feeding me my answers.
PHILLIP: I feel like organizing still isn’t something that’s cool. Like it’s cool to be a skateboarder, or it’s cool to be like a businessman or a doctor or a rapper, but like when we talk about somebody saying ‘Yo, let’s go raise some picket signs and like go to a meeting,’ those types of things aren’t seen as cool yet. And I feel like that’s one of the things that I would like for us, as an organization, to start working towards.
Californians for Justice
San Diego, Long Beach, San Jose, Fresno and Oakland, California
by Jordan Denari, 18
While much youth activism takes place at the local level, Californians for Justice fights for justice and educational excellence for youth in the entire state.
Founded in 1995, Californians for Justice works to empower young people of color to work for fairness and equality in their communities, especially in their schools. They address educational issues within specific schools and also through politics at the state level. For example, CFJ members were part of an alliance in May that rallied outside the California legislature in Sacramento in support of two pieces of legislation “which together would increase budget transparency, raise California’s per-pupil average, and fund the actual cost of educating California’s diverse student body,” according to the campaign’s Web site. (Assembly Bill 8 and Assembly Concurrent Resolution 54 are still awaiting action in the State Senate.)
Besides working in the political arena, Californians for Justice seeks to build educational motivation and leadership among high school students through its Summer Youth Leadership Academy. One recent participant was Maria Soto, 17, who immigrated from Guatemala as a child. She recently spoke to Y-Press from CFJ's Long Beach office.
What the Summer Youth Leadership Academy?
It’s a seven-week leadership development for youth. You have to be a high school student. We have workshops on racism and LGBTQ, which is lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer community. We study anti-Semitism and we study environmental justice, and we learn how to do public speaking and to talk to media. And we do phone banking, which is calling people to turn out to our events.
What are some of the educational issues CFJ has addressed?
Right now we’re going to start a campaign on the California high school exit exam, which is an exam you must take before graduating high school. During your sophomore year you take it the first time, and if you don’t pass it the first time, you have four chances before graduating. And so we’re working on this campaign to eliminate the exam because we don’t believe it’s fair.
We have statistics that show that this last year, one out of five African-Americans were denied their diploma because of this test. And this test is given to English language learners and special education [students]. … It's not a different version of the test, it’s the same test that everyone takes. We also have a statistic that says that 50 percent of special education students were denied their diploma because of this test.
Why is educational activism important to you?
Well personally, I’m an immigrant student. I wasn’t born here. And CFJ helped me a lot because I didn’t have resources that told me I was able to attend college after high school.
I was struggling my sophomore year in high school, and I just gave up ’cause I just believed there wasn’t a pathway for me after high school. I got involved with the organization, and I started learning new leadership skills that I never knew about or tried out. It just opened like a new doorway for me for my life. It has changed my life completely.
