St Louis news January 2022

SANKOFA: 2021 EDITION

Sankofa, which is Swahili principle for "go back and get it," demands that we take inventory on the strides and experiences that we've had to help prepare us for the future. Celebrate with AFSC STL as we review milestones that we accomplished with youth and families in 2021 as we shift gears in the new year!

January

• AFSC Youth Virtual Gatherings | Hosted sessions exploring youth ideas, visions, and hopes for 2021

February

• Social Justice Card Making, Valentines Day Edition | Mailed Hand-Crafted Holiday Cards to members of School Districts across the region demanding transparency on security and safety budgets.

March

• East St. Louis School District | Responded to Sarah Nash, Potts Intern, and her Valentines Day Card.
• Metropolitan Congregations United | Invited bro. Joshua Saleem, Program Director, to participate in a podcast on "Restorative Education Practices."

April

• St. Louis Public School Board Elections | Gathered then released responses to youth members of AFSC-STL by SLPS Board candidates around safety, restorative justice, and goals in the wake of the April 6th election.
• Paying attention to the need for restorative justice | Sarah Nash published an article calling for reimagining public safety in light of the St. Louis Justice (Justo) Center uprisings.
• Engaging Newly Elected Board Members | Mailed letters to the new Saint Louis Public School Board members around centering student well being, restorative justice, and student support.

May

• Community Safety Beyond Policing | Co-organized a webinar with Sarah Nash around Federal Policing Legislation and ways to get involved.
• Youth Council Kick-Off Gathering | Hosted a virtual gathering for newly onboarded Youth Council members: Yosiyah Griffin, Wajia Sabirie, Christopher Collins, Cailan Wooten, Naim Campbell, Carl Summers, Asher Pruitt, Trinity Williams, and Grace Griffin.

June

• Creative Praxis | Trained Youth Council members around the history of race and racism with a artivist lens through the guise of Nia Eubank-Dixon's organization.
• St. John's Beloved Community Juneteenth Cookout | Tabled and canvassed at Fairground Park in observence of the United States' Federally Declared National Independence Day. Youth Council members Grace and Yosiyah Griffin spoke about the need to center youth voices.

July

• Youth Council July Gathering | Hosted a gathering for Youth Council members where participants engaged in culture share and delivered a presentation tied to racism. Topics ranged from food injustice, policing, Black women and child birth, prisons, and curriculum. Members played Uno and ate treats.

August

• Vashon High School | AFSCSTL hosted a training for teachers and staff around restorative justice toward a partnership around peer mediation.
• Youth Council August Gathering | Hosted a gathering for Youth Council members where participants journeyed through Opinion Editorial training and analyzed "Why Are People Poor?"
• Where the Money (Should) Reside | Bro. Joshua Saleem penned a article about the reason why school boards should divest from punitive approaches to school and invest in restorative practices.

September

• Youth Council Opinion Editorials | Released brilliant articles written by Youth Council Members around topics that they were passionate about tied to racism and social justice. 6th Grader Yosyiah Griffin wrote about "Why Are Metal Detectors Necessary?" 7th Grader Grace Griffin penned about "Where is the Healthy Food?" 10th Grader Cailan Wooten shared about "The Real Threat to Missouri Classrooms Isn't Critical Race Theory." 
• Youth Council September Gathering | Hosted the last gathering for 1st Cohort for the Youth Council members where participants navigated reflection, updates, and celebration.

October

• Ignoring Our Requests: SLPS's Noncompliance with Missouri Sunshine Law | Released a powerful article written by Sarah Nash around demanding Saint Louis Public Schools release information around their security budgets and relationship with St. Louis Metropoltian Police Department.

November

• Education Equity Depends on District Transparency | AFSCSTL's collaborator LSEM released a eloquent statement demanding transparency from Saint Louis Public Schools around technology fines and its impact on low-income communities of color written by staff attorneys Elizabeth Vandenberg and Hopey Fink.
• Youth Council November Kick-Off Gathering | Hosted the first gathering for the Youth Council 2nd Cohort.

December

• Social Justice Card Making, Holiday Edition | Mailed Hand-Crafted Holiday Cards to youth incarcerated in the St. Louis City and County Juvenile Detention Centers.
• Youth Council December Gathering | Hosted a gathering for the Youth Council 2nd Cohort which included a 2022 visioning session, White Elephant gift exchange, UNO, and some delicious snacks.

From our partners

Youth Council for Positive Development

The Youth Council for Positive Development is sponsoring a visual essay contest about how to protect oneself from covid-19, and we want YUIR to have the opportunity to participate. Students can create a poster or a video explaining how to protect themselves against Coronavirus. They'll be judged on creativity, originality, and accuracy of information. First place prizes range from $100-$500 depending on the age group.

The contest will run from January 18th to February 4th. YCPD will announce the winner on February 18th and honor them at our Virtual Anniversary Celebration on February 26th.

All of the contest info is on the attached flier. Email submissions to ycpd.stl@gmail.com.

The deadline is February 4, 2022.

AFSC MICHIGAN

The people living at our women's prison have been tortured and living in terrible conditions. Please circulate this to your networks: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/address-inhumane-dangerous-conditions-at-huron-valley-womens-prison.

Address Inhumane & Dangerous Conditions at Huron Valley Women's Prison. Conditions at Michigan's one prison for women have been problematic long before COVID. Overcrowding, lack of access to mental health and adequate medical services, lack of programming, and more.

For More Information, Contact: Natalie Holbrook at NHolbrook@afsc.org

Featured article

Check Out Mustafa Ali-Smith's contribution on TruthOut titled Police-Led Youth Programs Don’t Actually Combat the School-to-Prison Pipeline

LITERATURE

St. Louis American

• "Being winners of mortal combat in 2022" by Jamala Rogers
• "Lower telephone rates on calls to prisoners" by Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.
• "Let's make a resolution together" by Tishaura Jones
• "Impressions of schooling" by Patrick Jones II

Support AFSC St. Louis youth work