By Mikhail Razzak, age 13 and IndyKids staff
The number of book challenges in the United States rose from 156 in all of 2020 to 330 in just the fall of 2021, according to a new American Library Association report. Since January 2021, more than 30 states have introduced classroom censorship laws which regulate discussions and literature, according to PEN America.
By Silin Razza-Baril, age 11 and Willa Krishnaswami, age 12
Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and creator of the 1619 Project, has launched the 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa, which opened earlier this year.
By Nicolle Berroa, age 14 and IndyKids staff Trump is out and Biden is the new president, but the activism that got us here shouldn’t be over. After George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in May 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement gained considerable momentum. The horrific event ignited people’s curiosity to start …
Why Youth Activism Cannot End with a Biden Presidency Read More »
By Raya ElHajjar, age 13 and IndyKids staff The morning of Jan. 6 began with crowds of Trump supporters flooding Washington, D.C., in anticipation of the then-president’s speech. During the rally, Trump urged his followers to “fight like h***” against what he called a stolen election. At 1:30 p.m., thousands of protesters began to march …
By Melina Cantagallo, age 12 While the Black Lives Matter movement was established seven years ago, the death of George Floyd in May, among other Black lives at the hands of police, has raised the question: “Are the police really keeping us safe?” According to a Gallup poll from late July, 94% of Americans believe …
By Michael Hirschfield, age 11 and IndyKids Staff Between 1965 and 1972, Black student activists held protests at thousands of colleges and universities to demand more equality in their schools. Known as the Black Campus Movement (BCM), they were campaigning for safety, respect, inclusion, increased enrollment of African-American students, more racial diversity amongst their teachers, …
After weeks of protests against a culture of racism on the University of Missouri campus, and a week-long hunger strike by student Jonathan Butler, the school’s president, Tim Wolfe, resigned two days after the football team joined the protests by going on strike. Mizzou students are not alone, as students at universities across North America are calling for an end to campus racism.
Outrage in Chicago after Laquan McDonald, an African-American teenager, was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer.
When students and young people have organized and demanded change, the outcomes have been tremendous. The voices of youth have had a special role in creating positive changes in revolutionary movements from the 20th century through today.
Black Lives Matter, a grassroots social justice movement that protests police violence against unarmed Black and Latino people, is sweeping the country and growing every day. From the Millions March to “die-ins,” activists of all ages are raising voices and fists to demand an end to police killings of unarmed Black and Latino people.
