Our Voice, Our Power: Building the Framework for the Beloved Community
The Gathering for Justice believes in the unique strength of intergenerational leadership, harnessing the energy of youth alongside the wisdom of elders. That’s why we took the cue from our youth organizers to host Our Voice, Our Power: Building the Framework for the Beloved Community on Wednesday, April 22nd.
In a Zoom conference moderated by our Senior Regional Organizer Jasmine Dellafosse and Youth Leadership & Engagement Coordinator Luis Hernandez, these dynamic young organizers discussed community care during COVID-19 and the intersections with justice reform, mental health, immigration, education, the 2020 elections and more. “We heard the outcry among our peers but didn’t see our voices reflected,” says Luis. This live broadcast, organized by youth leaders, was one of the most inspiring events we’ve hosted.
Watch the full video from Our Voice, Our Power: Building the Framework for the Beloved Community.
The Gathering always begins with a grounding in wellness and spirituality, which was led by youth organizer and community healer Efrain Botello of Fresno Barrios Unidos. Efrain burned palo santo and welcomed in the four directions, following the Lakota tradition while acknowledging the Ohlone land he stood on.
Shandiin Herrara, a youth leader from the Navajo Nation, had been delivering food to families on the reservation in Utah just before joining the call. She explained how COVID-19 has overwhelmed indigenous communities in the Southwest, due to disproportionate rates of illness, hunger and lack of access to medical facilities. “People don’t realize there are over 500 open, abandoned uranium mines on indigenous land,” she shared, as one of many examples why indigenous communities suffer from worse health outcomes.
Noah X, a youth activist who identifies as trans, emphasized the additional risks that LGBTQIA+ youth face during COVID-19. “Many young people have to go back in the closet in order to stay at home,” he shared, noting how an overwhelming percentage of queer and trans youth of color end up homeless. “Even emergency responders can refuse to treat LGBTQ people, because of a religious exemption.”
Gloria Alonso Cruz, an immigration activist who mobilized for the establishment of the Dreamers Success Center at San Joaquin Delta College, shared how people who are undocumented are especially vulnerable at this time. Some have lost their jobs due to business closures, while others are working low-wage jobs that are still considered “essential” like harvesting vegetables, causing the virus to spread rapidly through immigrant communities. Federal economic programs have excluded undocumented people and the aggressive targeting of immigrants by ICE and CBP makes seeking medical care exceptionally risky, even in emergencies.
Aaliyah Guillory-Nickens, a youth activist who attended the 2019 Gathering of the Youth, has recently become a Justice League NYC member. She made us proud as she gave an insightful analysis of how young people in the justice system are at heightened risk during COVID-19, due to the rapid spread in close quarters and the lack of protective equipment. Aaliyah is fighting to end solitary confinement of youth, a damaging practice that is still widespread, especially in fighting the spread of the virus. “Your mistakes do not define you,” she said. “Don’t stop fighting for what you believe in.”
The Gathering’s Youth Leadership & Engagement Coordinator, Luis Hernandez, also gave a racial justice analysis to the crisis. “Why is it that Black & Brown people are being hit hardest by COVID-19? We have to look at years of redlining, the closing of clinics, & the lack of resources,” he said. “The Bronx went from having no cases to the most cases in the city, within a week.”
Tanice Wallace, Youth Program Manager at Public Health Advocates, provided context on the trauma-informed counseling and other mental health services that youth need. She shared the results of a survey conducted across the state of California, which revealed that students are experiencing additional layers of stress due to social isolation, food insecurities, canceled events like graduation, and more. Noting that all of the added layers of stress can lead to someone’s mental state decomposing, Tanice urged legislators and funders to support the needs of students, highlighting confirmed cases of suicide, which is already a leading cause of death amongst 15–19 year olds. “We must systematically shift policy to assure that our youth are valued and are being uplifted now, and beyond COVID.”
Randy Yan, student body president at University of California-Irvine, shared how, on top of the mental and emotional toll of the loss of graduation ceremonies and other rites of passage, COVID-19 has made many students homeless, without income from campus jobs or access to wifi off-campus. Randy spoke about ways students are organizing in response to these needs.
Daphne Frias, a youth activist working on disability rights and gun violence prevention, shared her experience of contracting COVID-19 as someone living with a compromised immune system. Many people haven’t been able to get tested, but for immuno-compromised people who rely on caregivers, not being able to get tested adds a level of danger. Ultimately, Daphne was able to make enough noise to get her needs met, and after testing positive, she relocated to a hotel room by herself in order to spare her at-risk family caregivers. The majority of COVID cases have been people with underlying conditions & people with disabilities.
Kimberly Gudino is a Youth Advocate and Junior High Student Advisor with Brown Issues, a nonprofit that cultivates leadership through civic engagement, social emotional health support and narrative change. Kimberly spoke about the power of digital organizing during the quarantine, giving the example of Brown Issues’ campaign to enact rent forgiveness in California. Governor Newsom alone received nearly 1,000 notifications from Brown Issues’ network of supporters. “While we can’t be on the ground protesting and raising our demands, we can be collectively organizing virtually” says Kimberly. “We must reflect on how to create a digital organizing space that is complementary to a physical organizing space… that will translate to a massive amount of people on to the streets post COVID-19 — but the power of social media and these opportunities to organize will also still be available post-COVID-19. Let’s tap into that collective power and control our own narratives”
Babou Gaye, youth activist from the Bronx and organizing manager of NYCLU’s Teen Activist Project, spoke about the ways that New York’s young people have been impacted by COVID-19. In addition to the virus itself, the pandemic has caused budget cuts to education and the cancellation of the Summer Youth Employment Program, which employs 75,000 young people, the majority of whom are young women of color. A large percentage of NYC youth depend on their schools for access to technology and meals, which has left a gap during the closure. Babou was optimistic about the power of young people to step up in this moment. He gave an example of the young people who are filling in as educators to support their younger siblings with remote learning. “The pandemic may be what defines our generation, but we have an opportunity to take advantage of the social services that we have been told for far too long are unavailable or feasible,” he said. “We can pave the way for a world beyond COVID-19 where we can still enjoy social services that pull our communities out of the margins.”
Brea Baker, Justice League NYC member and young movement leader, was tasked with summarizing the entire program. “If we’ve learned anything in this moment, it’s that we have to depend on each other, because the government is not going to do it for us,” she said. “We must be like the redwood trees, rooted together.”
Not everyone on Our Voice, Our Power was a young person. The adult allies brought intergenerational solidarity into the space, beginning with actor and activist Kendrick Sampson. He welcomed the panelists and participants to the town hall, affirming that building the beloved community begins with community care and centering the most vulnerable. And rapper and activist Mysonne closed the program out, telling the youth leaders how inspired he was before delivering a special spoken word for them.
The Our Voice, Our Power town hall is just the beginning. We are building connections between youth leaders on the East and West coasts and planning a series of programming that will dive deeper into each of the topics discussed on Our Voice, Our Power. All of this is building towards the launch of a nationwide campaign to End the War on Children, coming in Fall 2020.
The Gathering for Justice believes that having youth leaders at every table will result in a stronger movement and advocacy work, because young people have always been at the forefront of movements for change. The Gathering for Justice’s founder, Mr. Harry Belafonte, became involved in the Civil Rights movement as a young man, before his career as an artist took off. Our CEO and President, Carmen Perez-Jordan began her organizing at the age of 17. Young people have also taken leadership in the American Indian Movement, the Chicano Movement, the feminist movement, the disability rights movement and today’s movement to protect immigrants. In April, we marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which served as an independent voice for young people in the Civil Rights Movement and organized the 1961 Freedom Rides. All of these movements show us that youth have the power to lead us forward.
Thank you to everyone who participated, watched & shared Our Voice, Our Power. Please stay engaged with us by joining our email list, and if you are able to make a $5 or $10 donation to support the work, please visit our donate page or send us a CashApp at $Gathering4Justice.
Let’s keep building the beloved community, together!
