Joshua Saleem (left) and Jonathan Pulphus of AFSC St. Louis lead a presentation, game and discussion with Game Changers at Ritenour High School. AFSC
Honoring an invitation to a social justice workshop on behalf of Ritenour High School’s GameChangers, AFSC in St. Louis recently facilitated a "History of School Police and a Black Jeopardy Game" with a group of 17 youth activists.
The presentations lifted up the past of policing in education and built community around an interactive activity. During the former presentation, Program Associate Jonathan Pulphus led the Game Changers in a discussion that included facts about the billions invested in Student Resource Officers (SROs).
In addition, Pulphus connected the talk to AFSC St. Louis’ campaign to enact policy around feedback forms for SROs. Youth felt newly informed about the history and also “[shocked] at how much money goes to SROs versus counselors.”
Program Director Joshua Saleem led the youth in a fun session of Black Jeopardy, featuring topics such as culturally relevant Music, Books, and Black Lives Matter (Past and Present). The young people were highly engaged, competitive, and open to learn during the game. At the end, Saleem invited the group to the upcoming St. Louis Freedom School March 25-28.