A Case of Suburban Youth Activism: Community of Racial Equity for Advancement

• In Event: Antiracist Student Activism in Suburban Schools

Abstract

The Community of Racial Equity (CORE) for Advancement formed in the fall of 2014 by a group of students of color enrolled in Advanced Placement, dual-enrollment, and IB courses in an urban school. Within three years of being established, chapters opened in five more schools: public, private, urban, and suburban. Students of multiple ethnic and racial identities banded together and galvanized with the mission: “By uniting strong leaders in collaboration, CORE challenges inequities in education, provides a community for BIPoC students and allies to discuss issues within their schools and cities, and creates action steps to make long-lasting change.”

The students leading these anti-racist efforts are often the only students of color in their college-level classes, and they have the shared and common experience of isolation in these predominantly white spaces. This sense of seclusion is amplified by curricula that doesn’t reflect our experiences and teachers who don’t represent our racial backgrounds. In the community that was created, CORE members came together and helped to ease tensions that arose from the experience of stereotype threat, alleviate frustrations that sprung from racialized moments, and relieve pressure by sharing strategies to navigate systems that placed unique obstacles in our paths to success.

As CORE continued to grow, our purpose became more focused: students supporting each other while working to make antiracist institutional changes. Through academic successes, shared service, and empowered community, we have worked to change their schools, districts, and educational systems across the state. These efforts became three-fold: to sustain rigorous academic endeavors, to improve the educational experiences for students of color in schools, and to revise policy at the state-level to create antiracist possibilities for Iowa’s schools.

In efforts to support the academic success of students of color in their schools, peer tutoring and essay-writing workshops organized by students flourished. This was reified through a year-long program at Drake University (CORE Scholars) where students from across the city meet monthly on campus to prepare for future post-secondary endeavors. In addition to the more formal undertakings, students found connection and community at our weekly CORE meetings in our schools. This is where we could overcome hurdles created by racist systems that manifested in relationships with their teachers, curriculum, and school policy.

While also supporting each other, students work to create change through avenues in our schools and communities. We have utilized strategies such as creating student-led professional development for faculty and staff in their schools; presenting at local, state, and national conferences; organizing a speaker series where their presentations are paired with activist, academics, and experts; hosting a strand of sessions in the city’s Civil and Human Rights Symposium; organizing a series of town halls to answer the questions: what do we want from our police? from our white peers? from our black leaders? from our policy makers?; and presenting reports to the State Board of Education and the Board of Educational Examiners. Each of these endeavors is created to elevate and amplify student voice by centering their experiences and authority.

Author

• Petra Lange, Valley High School, West Des Moines, IA