Schooled to the Streets? Exploring the Relationship Between K–12 Educational Experiences and Early Careers in Activism

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Sixteen
  In Roundtable Session: Geographies of Race and Inequality in Education (Table 1)

Abstract

Since the late eighteenth century, organizing and activism have been part of the urban landscape, from the labor organizing of Eugene Debs in the early twentieth century to the community organizing work of Saul Alinsky during the 1950s and 1960s. The development of community organizers is strongly tied to local institutions such as factories, houses of worship, and schools. For many youths in Chicago, schools often become the sites of political and social awakening and lead to activism beyond the schoolhouse. The present study engaged 14 young adult activists in semi-structured interviews to explore the relationship between their K-12 schooling experiences and their later young adult activism.

Author

• David A. Castro, Grow Your Own Illinois
  Presenting Author