"Love Us, Don't Harm Us!" Youth Organizing for Racial Justice and Police-Free Schools in Washington, D.C.

• In Event: The Power of Youth for Communal and Educational Change

Abstract

Situated in COVID-19 Washington, D.C. amidst renewed attention to police brutality, this paper presents findings from a qualitative case study, grounded in critical place inquiry, of the tactics and framing processes that youth organizers in one community-based organization, the Black Swan Academy (BSA), leveraged to influence local education policy for police free schools. Drawing on multiple data sources, we found that BSA’s use of disruptive and traditional tactics, hashtag activism, and ideational framing, alongside long-standing relationships with community members and elite allies, contributed to two policy victories. This paper generates theoretical insights about how and under what conditions youth might play a key role in educational and social justice movements, influence policy, and reclaim their “right to the city.”

Authors

• Kristin Sinclair, Georgetown University

• Sophia Rodriguez, University of Maryland - College Park