If you haven’t had a chance to hear March For Our Lives, youth activist, Naomi Wadler’s speech, please take a few minutes to listen or a moment to read the transcript at the end of the post.

This is what racial justice work is all about. 

The children know, they know. 

If YOU want to know what the kids know, and what the young people in our Youth Leadership Initiative have taught us, take some time to read about YW Boston’s advocacy work.  Five months ago, our advocacy committee published a press release announcing the focus of our civic commitment to supporting families and girls of color.

Focused specifically on how the school-to-prison pipeline affects girls of color, YW Boston’s committee is taking a closer look at state and nationwide trends and examining factors that lead to the criminalization of youth of color. While many studies have found higher discipline, suspension, and expulsion rates for youth of color compared to their white counterparts, there is limited public awareness about the rising number of incidents involving girls of color.  Multiple reports present concerning data on harsh disciplinary practices in Boston schools. Black female students in Massachusetts are referred to police three times more often than their white peers and the problem may be compounding.

A voice like Naomi’s is incredibly important.  She is standing up for her peers, facing the reality of the numbers, referencing in her speech, the statistics that continue to show violent and brutal patterns emerging toward people of color, specifically, black men, black women and black youth. 

Throughout the month of April, YW Boston is calling on every single member in our community to take a STAND AGAINST RACISM.  We’re inviting everyone we know to join us in a nation-wide campaign that helps raise awareness of issues like the ones so powerfully articulated in Naomi’s speech. 

If like most of us, you’ve been moved by the words that our children are speaking, then make a commitment to participating in this years #STAND2018.  Register to access the SAR Toolkit, choose any week in April and get together with your community to sign and display pledge boards and kickstart group discussions using a powerful series of materials curated by leaders in our community who care deeply about helping eliminate racism.

Naomi is not alone in this.  Many communities like ours at YW Boston, are rallying to support her message and the message of children like her who have chosen to stand up to the injustices they witness every day in their communities.  We are honored to have the privilege of supporting our children’s efforts in the fight for racial justice, equality and renewed possibilities for a future open to all.

The time is now. 

If in doubt, LISTEN TO THE CHILDREN.

Naomi Wadler’s Speech

“People have said that I’m too young to have these thoughts on my own…not true”