LeBron James: The Real MVP for Public Schools
Most of us celebrated the Golden State Warriors victories over LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 NBA championships. We especially reveled in the 2017 win after James’ Cavaliers broke our hearts in 2016. This summer things changed. We are now celebrating LeBron James. Not only because we beat him, again, but because…
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See How CFJ Spent the Summer Developing the Next Generation of Leaders
Over the past 5 weeks, the Californians for Justice offices across that state have been hustling and bustling with energy and excitement of youth leaders as they develop leadership abilities, grow grassroots organizing skills and hone their political education knowledge. Each year, Summer Youth Leadership Academy (SYLA) students in each of our four regions participate…
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Something Powerful Is Happening at CFJ
For the last 22 years Californians for Justice has engaged thousands of young people of color to make positive changes in their schools and communities. This work has been possible thanks to the thousands of supporters who have given their time, donations, and more to uplift the voices of young people who are working to…
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What It Will Take To Center Race & Relationships In California Schools
Our state’s true success and prosperity depends on our schools’ capacity to prepare every student to become the next generation of leaders and visionaries. Yet Black, Brown, Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American students continue to find themselves separate and unequal, systematically shut out of opportunities for generational success and prosperity. Instead, generations of…
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Say Their Names: Nia Wilson, Frederick Taft
Our hearts and minds are heavy with the news of the latest series of violent attacks against Black women and men in our communities. On July 21, Frederick Taft was gunned down at a family reunion in Long Beach. The next day, Nia and Latifa Wilson were viciously attacked by a white supremacist in Oakland.…
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Californians for Justice winning victories for Student Voice & Relationships in districts across the state
This past school year, CFJ organizers and student leaders made real progress in the campaign to transform California public schools into Relationship Centered Schools. This framework emphasizes student voice, relationship building, and professional development for teachers and staff, making it essential to the success of Black, Brown, Asian, Native American and Pacific Islander students. By…
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On Independence Day, Black and Brown Communities are Still Not Free
As we gather with our families to celebrate the July 4th holiday, it’s important to remember there’s still a lot of work to do to ensure all our communities are truly free; free from police violence, racial injustice, forced separation and anti-immigrant policies. At Californians for Justice, we know that institutionalized family separation is not…
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Supreme Court Ruling Deals a Blow to CA Teachers, Students and Communities of Color
The Supreme Court’s ruling last week in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees dealt yet another blow to our communities. The decision means anti-worker politicians and corporations have one more weapon to silence the voices of youth and communities of color on the ground. By ruling that government workers no longer…
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Why Relationship Centered Schools Matter for LGBQ, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Students
Since coming out publicly as a lesbian two years ago, Sierra has seen how her school’s treatment of trans and gender non-conforming and LGBQ students, while better than most schools, could be vastly improved through better representation and resources for students. “When I first came out my freshmen year, I went to [a few trusted]…
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