National Convening Program Books 2016 YEO National Convening Program Book | Page 17

YEO NATIONAL CONVENING 2016

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Empowering and Educating Communities Plenary Panel: Community
Schools and Social Good
Great Room 1

Regardless of the type of education you believe in, community schools
are a quickly growing model for addressing the holistic needs of
students and families. This panel examines the added support and
opportunities for collaboration and growth community schools offer
students compared with the traditional one-size-fits-all approach.

MANDELA BARNES Wisconsin State Legislature
In 2012 Mandela Barnes was elected to serve in the Wisconsin State Legislature.
Representative Barnes graduated from Milwaukee’s John Marshall High School in 2003,
and attended Alabama A&M University, completing his education in 2008. After returning
to Milwaukee, Barnes interned in the office of Mayor Tom Barrett, eventually moving
into the position of staff assistant. After leaving the mayor’s office, Barnes began working
in the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, and eventually became the lead
organizer and director for Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH),
a coalition of faith-based groups advocating for social justice in the greater Milwaukee
community. Representative Barnes was sworn into office on January 7th, 2013, and currently
serves on the Committees on Corrections, Education, Jobs & the Economy, and Small
Business Development. Representative Barnes was also elected chairman of the legislature’s
Black and Latino Caucus.

JITU BROWN Journey for Justice Alliance
Jitu Brown is the national director for the Journey for Justice Alliance (J4J). Brown was
born on Chicago’s south side and is a product of Chicago’s public school system. He started
volunteering with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) in 1991,
became a board member in 1993 and served as the board president for a number of years. He
joined the staff as education organizer in 2006. He helped develop the Mid-South Education
Association, a grassroots advocacy group comprised of administrators, parents, teachers,
young people, and local school council (LSC) members to meet the needs of schools in the
area. They were the first group to certify parents as LSC facilitators, which has become a
model being replicated across the city of Chicago. In addition, they successfully organized
to stop several school closings in the area and secured resources for neglected neighborhood
schools.

DETAILED AGENDA

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