Abstract
In this brief, the authors examine the role that racialized youth activists play in youth–adult collaborations. Attending to anti-CRT legislations, the authors offer research-informed policy recommendations to support the accurate representation of youth of color’s input.
Families and youth of color are relegated to the margins by the CRT controversy (Anderson, 2021; Ulen, 2022). In this brief, we examine youth of color’s activism and knowledge relevant to the CRT debate. We describe different configurations of youth–adult collaborations and the challenges they present. We also share research-informed policy recommendations to support the accurate representation of youth of color’s input on education policy decisions.
Disrupting a Legacy of Adults Marginalizing Youth of Color
Once considered an academic and graduate-level topic, CRT is now a highly contested issue influencing K–12 education policy. Some of the loudest voices are politicians and pundits who mischaracterize CRT—a framing developed by legal scholars to investigate long-standing racial injustices—as anti-white propaganda taught to young and impressionable students. Building on these unfounded accusations, lawmakers introduced sweeping policies barring instruction about race and systemic oppressions. Reactionary political and parent groups have historically pushed policy makers to safeguard privileges for white students and families at the expense of youth of color (Love, 2021). The recent attacks against CRT thus continue a legacy of adults presenting obstacles to youth activists who aim to advance social justice and dismantle systemic racism (Rury & Hill, 2013).
The “CRT bans” increase the vulnerability of youth activists and youths of color. Young people attempting to engage policy makers must confront power differentials between themselves and adults; this challenge is exacerbated by youth navigating racism, ableism, and other identity-based discrimination. Their already limited means of advocating for change becomes further restricted as educators receive increasing pressure to silence conversations that discomfort white people (Farrington, 2021).
In this anti-CRT climate, youth activists express concerns that progress made is subject to complete reversal. As local, national, and virtual networks bring youth of color together, adults must understand each configuration’s affordance and constraints to ensure that youth activists of color are not further marginalized.
Local and Regional Groups
Youth-led local and regional collectives—such as the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE, n.d.); Juntos (Education Law Center, .n.d.); Providence Student Union (https://www.pvdstudentunion.org/campaign); and Rethink NOLA (http://therethinkers.org)—have mobilized in response to misguided anti-CRT legislation (University of Michigan School of Education, n.d.). Three adult-led organizations that facilitate youth activist trainings and summer information sessions are the Washington NAACP Youth Council, Arizona Coalition for Change, and Washington Ethnic Studies Now. The latter published a paper denouncing the CRT bans and offering calls to action, such as factual accounting of this country’s racial history (National Liberated Ethnic Studies Coalition, 2022).
Affordance
Local grassroots and nonprofit organizations foster resourceful skills that are useful in academic and professional settings. They empower youth to understand their local contexts and constructively resist inequities. Youth-initiated efforts tend to reflect their intentions more authentically, creating spaces where youth explicitly communicate their educational needs with minimal censorship (Medina et al., 2020).
Constraints
Accessibility to public transportation varies across the country. Youth below the driving age may face challenges getting to central locations. Within adult-led activist groups, unequal adult–youth power dynamics and access to funding complicate youth involvement (Medina et al., 2020). Adults often dismiss youth-led actions when the number of youths calling for change is “too small,” and solutions offered by adults tend to avoid root causes of systemic challenges.
National Networks and Coalitions
National youth-led and youth-involved collectives, including the Alliance for Educational Justice (see http://www.reclaimourschools.org/sites/default/files/aros-back-to-school-toolkit.pdf), have mobilized around CRT restrictions with adult-led organizations such as the Education for Liberation Network and Black Lives Matter at School (see https://www.blacklivesmatteratschool.com/year-of-purpose.html; Black Lives Matter at School, 2020).
Affordance
These national networks connect youth activists throughout the country, thus strengthening youths’ understandings of how systemic racial, cultural, and linguistic oppression manifests across different settings.
Constraints
In-person meetings happen less frequently, with greater travel costs. Youth activists find it difficult to enact direct and immediate change in local communities and to assess the effectiveness of activist efforts.
Social Media
Youth activism happens through social media in both formalized and informal ways. Youth mobilize using Facebook groups (Fullam, 2017), hashtags on Twitter, infographics, and TikTok community-building efforts (Stornaiuolo & Thomas, 2017).
Affordance
Social media offers greater accessibility for youth who are often excluded from formal avenues of political participation, such as youth with disabilities who have mobility challenges around attending in-person gatherings. Virtual engagement allows for immediate information distribution and feedback.
Constraints
Misinterpretations of news or the inadvertent spread of misinformation can occur quickly. Youth who use social media may experience greater scrutiny, surveillance, censorship, and school disciplinary actions (Lee, 2018).
Policy Recommendations
Positioning Matters
Using terms such as “parent groups” or “impressionable” students without indicating the racial composition of those categories is misleading (Anderson, 2021; Sheth & Salisbury, 2022). Recognizing and naming the extent to which policy makers and educators are familiar with the experiences of youth and families of color matters in disrupting anti-CRT efforts.
Facilitating Youth Engagement in State Standards, Curricular Decisions, and Educator Licensure
Young people have long challenged curriculum and have critiqued, for example, the hyperfocus on standardized testing. If candid discussions about racial oppression are prohibited because of anti-CRT policies, emphasizing examples of racial empowerment can serve as a meaningful alternative. Those engaged in setting relevant standards should collaborate with local activist groups to see what shifts in the curricula are needed to uplift students and create a more equitable educational environment (Carey et al., 2021; Fullam, 2017). These groups would offer insights for advancing teacher and administrator licensure requirements that promote ethical youth–adult collaborations.
Appropriating Funds to Support Youth Civic Engagement
Given that access to resources has limited youth activism and civic engagement and exacerbates the power differential between youth and adults, we call for greater investments in this area. For example, government agencies at the federal and state levels can incentivize youth participatory action research (YPAR) and other forms of youth-led actions through the appropriation of funding for grants.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Awo Okaikor Aryee-Price for her guidance on this brief.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.