Philadelphia Student Union Teaches Students the Power of Protest
The Vocalization They Were Born To Use
Through Philadelphia Student Wedlock, high schoolers are encouraged to speak out against the injustices they see in their schools—and to become active and engaged citizens for life
Jun. thirteen, 2016
The video is simply 13 seconds long, but it speaks volumes about what goes on in Philadelphia high schools. In information technology Brian Burney, a Benjamin Franklin High School student, is on the floor, with a schoolhouse police officer on top of him, restraining him from behind. A vocalization on the film urges the officeholder to let up: "He'south non even resisting, let him go, he's not fifty-fifty resisting…"
Uploaded to Vimeo presently after the May 5 incident, the video has been viewed nearly 16,000 times, past people all around the country—reminiscent of the video from South Carolina of a daughter beingness tackled to the basis by a school cop last autumn. The incident has pitted students at public loftier schools in Philly against the policies of those schools: Locked bathrooms that students need passes to utilise; the presence of schoolhouse police officers who, according to a recent state Auditor General report, are often not properly trained or subjected to the proper background checks; the suspension or expulsion of black students at 3.five times the charge per unit of white students, which studies evidence makes them more likely to terminate upwards in jail.
Student witnesses take said Brian was put in a chokehold, and suffered a concussion. The District has disputed that characterization, merely has transferred Officeholder Jeffrey Maciocha while it investigates the incident.
In some other school, at some other fourth dimension, the whole episode might have gone unnoticed, like so many do. Only Brian is a member of the Philadelphia Student Spousal relationship, a xx-year old citywide student activist grouping. PSU organized protests outside the School District, and has launched a social media campaign that has pushed school policing to the forefront of our urban center's—and nation'southward—attention.
"We're looking for leaders," says Rivera. "We enquire them, 'When people are going to brand decisions near your education, do you desire your voice to be heard?' Young people are not recognized as leaders in this urban center and are the virtually missing from the conversation."
"The Philadelphia Educatee Matrimony challenges u.s.a. to meet this one act of violence in the context of a much broader, sustained assail on black and brown bodies, on public education and on youths' rights," Villanova professors Jerusha Conner and Kelly Welch wrote in US News in May. Or every bit PSU executive director Hiram Rivera puts it, "Brian's set on is simply 1 of many assaults that happen every day. It's like the wild westward of police force."
The incident with Brian, a vocal PSU member, has galvanized the grouping around an effect they say they face every day in schools. On a contempo afternoon, several students in their brand new office but off Malcolm 10 Park in West Philadelphia, were making signs—with slogans like "Nosotros are students, not criminals"—for an upcoming acuity in honor of Brian. "At that place accept been a lot of these problems at our school," says Aigner, a sophomore at Franklin. "The [policing] has to cease. I would never want my brother treated that way."
Started in 1995, PSU is one of the earliest student unions, and has go a model for a nationwide movement among urban students—including those in Newark and Chicago—to organize for condom and high-quality instruction in their districts. Masterman grad Eric Braxton and a group of swain Masterman students began the group subsequently recognizing the problems their schoolhouse faced because of underfunding, and realizing that neighborhood schools were struggling fifty-fifty more. At outset, they wanted to commencement a youth advisory board to the Board of Didactics, merely when that didn't happen, the project took a new turn.
"Nosotros decided that nosotros wanted something that would not just give vocalism to a few students, but would empower all students in Philadelphia," wrote Braxton in an commodity for PSU's 20th Anniversary newsletter. The White Canis familiaris Cafe on Penn'due south Campus agreed to let them run into there and gave them initial support to go off the footing. In 1996, the grouping helped organize a citywide walkout in the wake of major education budget cuts. "As thousands of students streamed to City Hall from every office of the city, we knew something special was starting."
Since that fourth dimension, the PSU has launched campaigns for changes on a wide variety of school problems, including: school underfunding, which has left Philly students without counselors, nurses, or later school programs; pushing dorsum confronting the increment in charter schools; fighting for funding at the land level; pushing for the SRC members to be elected rather than appointed so they are accountable to students and parents; schoolhouse policing; and ending the school-to-prison house pipeline past changing the "over-reliance on exclusionary bailiwick practices (like suspensions and expulsions)" in favor of prevention measures similar restorative practices.
PSU membership is open to all high schoolhouse aged young people in Philadelphia, and over its lifespan has had chapters at fifteen schools, where each calendar week students participate in leadership workshops, get involved with citywide campaigns and plan school-based campaigns and activities. At that place are also weekly citywide meetings for students who attend schools without a chapter, with other workshops, and where they can socialize with activists from around the urban center. All PSU programs are free, and food and tokens are provided at all meetings. Many members take to calling the PSU "a family." The organization and its staff are funded primarily past foundations, but likewise receive grants from local, regional and national funders as well as individual contributions.
"PSU does not give students their voice," says PSU alum Deborah Dowlin. "It shows immature people how to utilize the phonation they were born to use."
Students join the PSU through many dissimilar channels, including needing assist when an consequence arises at their school, discussion of mouth, social media, and the on the basis outreach that PSU staff organizers do on the first twenty-four hours of school around the city and routinely throughout the yr.
Representatives of PSU working on campaigns regularly encounter with people in ability similar the mayor and Superintendent Pecker Hite, and show at Schoolhouse District and City Council hearings. They speak at rallies, pb marches and walkouts, speak at press conferences, and create their own newsletter, short films, and news podcast. PSU'south five staff members offer training in public speaking and media making, merely the students are the ones calling the shots and appearing in the spotlight.
Started in 1995, PSU is one of the earliest student unions, and has become a model for a nationwide motion amongst urban students—including those in Newark and Chicago—to organize for safe and high-quality education in their districts.
"We're looking for leaders," says Rivera, who estimates PSU has 150 core members (though many more students are involved in rallies, protests, workshops, and events). "Nosotros ask them, 'When people are going to make decisions most your instruction, do yous desire your vocalism to be heard?' Young people are non recognized equally leaders in this city and are the almost missing from the conversation."
The PSU claims many victories over the years. At Overbrook High Schoolhouse, chapter members won the terminate to a punitive belatedly room policy. At Sayre High School, students fought to have their schoolhouse law officers trained, and students at West Philadelphia High School advocated for and received restorative practices as alternatives to suspensions and expulsions. In 2011, the Furness High School affiliate successfully organized to help foreclose the closing of their schools.
"Most youth organizations don't survive twenty years," says Rivera. "We take, considering of the tremendous support we've had locally and nationally." (Simply last calendar month at the protest for Brian Burney, PSU members were joined past students and organizers from Chicago.) "And also because we've never compromised our values or shied away from taking the necessary risks to make sure justice is served. We've never stopped trusting in the power of immature people."
Over 3,500 young people take been members of the Student Union over the years, and thus gone through the PSU'south leadership development program. Many former members have get active in organizing, civic engagement, and advancement in their colleges and communities and electric current members are involved a broad range of initiatives in their neighborhoods, beyond merely schools. "If it were not for the Philly Pupil Matrimony I would not exist the person I am today," wrote Ben Shapiro, a PSU alum in their newsletter. "I take been actively working toward changing the world we live in ever since loftier school [considering of] the experience I had with the PSU and the political education I received there."
Sierra, a senior at Benjamin Franklin High, who has been involved with PSU for three years, says her motivation is simple: "I help so that hereafter students won't have to get through what we've gone through."
Photo header: Courtesy of Philadelphia Student Spousal relationship 
Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/philadelphia-student-union/
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