Blog

It’s been 67 years since 13 Black families won their lawsuit to desegregate schools and secured the right to equal education for students of color. All these years later and we still know that for any real and lasting progress to be made, we must center the voices and leadership of Black students and families. 

This is especially true as we celebrate the news of the historic levels of funding coming to California public schools. Billions of dollars will soon spread to districts across the state and Californians for Justice is working with student leaders in our four regions to ensure these funds go towards prioritizing racial justice & equity. Specifically, our youth are organizing in Long Beach Unified, Oakland Unified, Fresno Unified and the East Side Union High School District in San Jose to have a restorative restart to schools this fall, with curriculum and resources focused on mental health, relationships, racial equity and more.

This is a historic opportunity we can’t afford to sleep on. These funding levels are a one-time thing so we must act boldly and center the voices of those who have been impacted the most by distance learning and the global pandemic. 

We’re asking you to join us — be an accomplice! — as we hold district and education leaders accountable to the original promise of Brown vs. Board of Education. Don’t let this money slip away into general funds — support Black, Brown and API students and families in calls for ethnic studies, mental health resources, community schools and relationship-centered classrooms with smaller class sizes! We must hold ourselves and ed leaders accountable to co-creating a transparent process for using these historic levels of funding to foster deeper connections and relationships between students and adults on campus.