Students demand equity and inclusion: call for admissions, curriculum, counseling changes

Manhattan’s Beacon High School students are fighting for racial equity in NYC’s highly segregated school system. Three student activists talk about their experiences in the elite public school, the student-led demonstrations and teach ins, and the Beacon Union of Unions’ comprehensive list of demands.

References

Beacon’s Union of Unions: click here to see their Policy Demands

Overview

00:00-00:47 Intros

00:47-05:54 Students’ experiences at Beacon

05:54-12:41 Student demands

12:41-15:12 Anti-racist curriculum

15:12-16:24 Teens Take Charge

16:24-18:27 What teachers need to do in making change

18:27-21:34 First Beacon demonstration in Fall 2019

21:34-27:26 December incident, response planning, and sit-in

27:26-31:01 Sit-in’s impact on relationships among students and with teachers

31:01-33:23 Sources of support for students’ June demands to administration

33:23-34:06 Administration’s response 

34:06-36:15 Talking with students at other schools

36:15-37:10 Connections with Movement for Black Lives

37:10-37:40 Whites must choose between being racist and anti-racist

37:40-39:14 Outro

Transcription

Click here to see the full transcription of the episode. 

Credits

Photo: facebook.com/teenstakechargenyc and NYC Daily News

Soundtrack by Podington Bear