This past Saturday, S.O.U.L. Sisters Executive Director Wakumi Douglas engaged Youth Organizer Logan Meza in a conversation on schools replicating systems of oppression that cause trauma and pain for girls and non-binary students of color. S.O.U.L. Sisters represented the Communities for Just Schools Fund at the NEA Foundation‘s “Keeping the Promise of Public Education” Symposium. Weaving their personal experience with statistics and research, Logan holds schools accountable for their role in affecting youth and young adults struggling with mental health and wellness:

“It’s very easy to connect oppression to tumultuous home life, but there’s another connection that oftentimes people fail to make… the school system. What I mean by that: school is seen as a “safe home away from home”  that’s all about the wellness and success of students. But the unfortunate truth is that schools perpetuate the same systems of oppression that we’re fighting against, talking about class and race based systemic oppression.”

To experience the full interview and receive Logan’s recommendations for change, click here and start at 48:58.