Sub/Urban Justice Organizing spans a range of topics, communities, and interests. Here's a sample of past and current projects!

Sub/Urban Justice "JPK"

These teens identified two major problems facing their community - intensive segregation and youth violence. They determined that bringing together a diverse group of peers from the neighborhood around these issues was a critical piece of action. They recruited a group of teens and launched a weekly teen-led social justice program in the fall of '08. They used this group as a springboard to found Boston Students Union, joined with a coalition of other teen organizing groups and pushed for more school funding on the state and city level. They've recently partnered with the Boston Student Advisory Committee to implement student evaluations of teachers.

Speak Up! Project

This group of young women from various Boston area independent schools decided the central and unnamed problem facing their various schools was the specter of racism. They decided that starting an honest and open conversation was crucial to making substantive changes. They gathered 25 stories about race, culture, and racism at New England area schools, which was compiled into a recently released book. In 2010 they received the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and In the spring of '12 they will be offering workshops at area high schools using this anthology as a conversation starter and reference guide. They intend more than conversation though, they intend to challenge unaddressed racism.  To participate or invite Speak Up! to your school, please visit their website: www.speakupstories.org. 

“I believe the Speak Up! Project has a strong potential to play a vital role in academic discourse within our schools. This is an opportunity presented to empower students to freely express themselves on a systemic oppression such as racism.”                                                                           Blen Girum, SJS 2008