Social Justice
George Floyd & Black Liberation #BlackLivesMatter
Statement From CFJ Leadership & Staff: Black Lives Matter. George Floyd’s life mattered. Breonna Taylor’s life mattered. Tony McDade, Nina Pop and Ahmaud Arbery’s lives all mattered. Not just because they were stolen at the hands of police and white supremacists, but because they were human beings, pieces of our communities and valuable voices we…
Read MoreSF Chronicle Letter to the Editor: An Economic Crisis Is The Worst Time To Cut Education Funding by Saa’un Bell
An economic crisis during COVID-19 is the worst time to cut education funding.
Read MorePress Release: High School Students Across CA Talk School Closures, Impact And Needs In The Wake Of The Coronavirus
Young people are inheriting a California that is one of the wealthiest states in the United States but only for those who can afford it. Despite our state’s vast material wealth, Coronavirus has illuminated how easily overwhelmed and under-resourced our city and county infrastructures are in a time where crises are becoming commonplace. More importantly it has highlighted how essential public institutions like schools are, and the alarming need to invest in our local community and school infrastructures to provide the most basic of needs to our families and young people across the state.
Read More4 Things That Will Change Education in 2020
Update: this post was updated on 1/17 with the first official poll for Schools & Communities First. Three years deep into a Trump presidency, we are ready for change. Without a doubt, November 2020 will be our most significant election in two decades. It will be a Democracy lesson we will never forget. It’s up…
Read MoreCelebrating 5 Years of The Incredible Journey of The Student Voice Campaign
A legacy in the making turns 5 today— the Student Voice Campaign. Five years ago, the Student Voice Campaign transformed the perception and role of students as “essential” stakeholders in local decision-making processes in California’s public schools giving a voice to 4.5 million students. Today Californians for Justice celebrates an incredible historic victory in the…
Read MoreYouth Are Ready For A Radically New Future
Above: CFJ’s Angel Palencia and Nhada Ahmed kick off the State of the Youth event in San Jose last month. Young people are leading and taking action on a national and global scale, challenging systems of power that endanger their ability to thrive and live with dignity. In California, we have the 5th largest economy…
Read MoreTeen Immigrants Bullied Because of Culture, Language, and More
Teen Vogue recently talked to CFJ leaders and other youth activists in California to hear what it’s like to be bullied over your immigration status. Read below to learn more about the struggles of institutionalized bullying, school-to-deportation pipeline and the beauty of reclaiming your voice and identity. BY ANNETTE LIN OCTOBER 30, 2019 For as…
Read MoreWhy we need Integration for Liberation
Last month student leaders, elected officials, researchers, educators and community organizers from California and beyond gathered in San Jose to discuss “Integration for Liberation.” While our conversation was rooted in our schools, we quickly saw that transformation and liberation must also ripple out to our communities. Schools today in New York and California are more…
Read MoreAn Activist’s Book List
To celebrate National Read a Book Day, we sent out a mass email to Californians for Justice staff and gathered a list of the most impactful books we’ve read. Here are our Top 15 books, and why we love them so much! Signed, your local activists. 1. Hunger by Roxane Gay This books is about…
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