Leadership magazine Sept/Oct 2015 V45 No 1 | Page 38

Encounters with police Continued from page 28 enforcement? The implications of the above activities and exercises are far-reaching regarding the reduction of violence and helping stop the heartbreaking and untimely deaths of youths that are being reported in the news. I am sharing them with you because I believe you can make a difference. Additionally, I believe that carrying out these tasks as school-sponsored assignments will help improve the communities in which we live, because these actions will engage police departments and let them know we are paying attention and are asking them to be accountable to us. I also believe that the police in our communities will welcome these activities. They are a way for them to reverse the suspicion and the bad press they have been getting lately, and will fit in with their initiatives to positively interact with youth and utilize community-policing protocols. Students should undertake these activities with an understanding of why they are important; that what they learn has the potential to keep them out of trouble, to keep people of color safe, and to help everyone stay out of harm’s way in encounters they have with the police. It is equally significant that the information obtained about how policing is happening in your town or school district will enhance a young person’s education about municipal matters, and contribute to the life skills that are critical to their success. Students from every race, culture and economic strata deserve our support in California; that’s why there is a concerted move toward educational equity. However, equity in education is not only about academics. It’s also about supporting youth in their life circumstances. It is an imperative that schools respond to this challenge. Finally, I would like to share a vision – a vision of hope, possibility and promise. What if this work really catches on, and becomes a model that can be taken everywhere? What would be the result of these timely efforts to bring about the change that is desperately needed? I believe the result would not only be to reduce the occurrences of violence involving youth and people of color that have inspired us to take action, but also that we would see a new level of healing that would help groom our youth to expect and live real justice and equality. That is my vision, my hope and the promise that I invite you all to step up to help realize. The future is in our hands. The young people you and I work with every day, preparing them to be good citizens, productive adults and genuine leaders, are the key to that future. Let’s not forget how much power we all have to accomplish this – together. n Aliah K. MaJon is an educational consultant and founder of the Next 50 Years Project for Racial Equity. 38 Leadership