Updates from the national headquarters at the Alliance for Youth Action
Pride is a Battleground
by Izzy Milch
Pride did not start as a fight for marriage equality, for corporately-made rainbow gear, or for LGBTQ+ representation in Disney movies, and it certainly cannot end with the acquisition of those things. Pride started as a riot against police brutality carried out on transgender and gender-nonconforming people of color. It started as a refusal to be policed out of existence. Pride started as a fight for the right of LGBTQ+ people to live, in public, without apology. That is a fight that is not yet won, and we cannot win it alone.
Recent research has shown that around 5% of young people in the United States identify as transgender or nonbinary. The numbers for the general population are even smaller, at approximately 1.6%. This tiny minority of Americans is being directly targeted by people, groups, and institutions with massive amounts of power and money. In 2022 alone, more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in legislatures across the country. In Montana, where I live and work, it is now illegal for trans youth to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity, and a law barring trans people from access to accurate identification is caught up in a hotly contested court battle. An elected official in our state recently said, very publicly, that violence is an appropriate consequence for being openly queer.
Through all of this, we keep fighting, we keep living and working and creating and dreaming, as we have always done and will always do. We find moments of joy, connection, and celebration. We throw glitter in the face of persecution. And we need your help.
When I said that the fight for equality can’t end at corporate rainbows, I meant it, but there’s more to it than that. When young queer and trans people in a place like Montana see a t-shirt celebrating their identity in a small-town Wal Mart, that’s not nothing. Being seen is a lifeline.
The same is true in organizing. When LGBTQ+ people are constantly barraged with messages that we don’t belong (in this state, this country, this sport, this bathroom), we need a chorus behind us saying yes, you do. We need to hear it from the local nonprofits, the schools, the politicians, our employers, our colleagues, our friends. We need your help to make it so obvious that trans people belong that it seems absurd that it was ever a question, because it is! If ever there was a time to be full-throated in your unconditional support for trans youth, it’s now. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know all the right things to say; if you show up for us, we’ll gladly teach you. Queer organizers have taught me what it means to work for a better world, and they’ll teach you, too.
So, consider this a call to action. How are you committing to showing up, in ways big and small, for the queer and trans people in your workplace, your state, our country, once June is over?
Izzy Milch is the LGBTQ2S+ Advocacy Organizer at Forward Montana. They’re a Montana-born queer who believes deeply in the revolutionary potential of joy. When they’re not organizing for a safer, queerer Montana, they like to spend their time tending to their small zoo of pets, roller skating to Dua Lipa, and making gay little collages out of vintage Playboy magazines.
Let’s Fight Back: How to Continue Supporting Abortion Access
Keeping Up with the Fight For Abortion Access
Advocating for reproductive rights and abortion access has been and will continue to be a pillar of grassroots organizing across the Alliance Network. Since the Supreme Court eliminated the federal constitutional protection of abortion rights set by Roe v. Wade and gave the authority to decide abortion rights to individual states in June 2022, many attacks on reproductive freedom have been introduced this legislative session to heavily restrict or completely ban abortion access.
Read more about how the Alliance Network is continuing to fight for reproductive freedom through local level organizing in our latest abortion access blog post.
Sunday, January 22nd marked fifty years since the Supreme Court released its decision on Roe v. Wade, recognizing abortion as a constitutional right. This year is the first anniversary since a conservative Supreme Court composed primarily of white men overturned Roe last summer. Since then, a new generation has stood up against that decision and won incredible victories for reproductive rights at the state level.
Alliance youth organizers are fighting tooth and nail to protect abortion access in their communities. Take a look at some of the work the Alliance Network has been doing since the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Last year, Alliance Network organizations from across the nation effectively organized and claimed hard-fought victories for reproductive rights.
Photo from Loud Light
In Kansas, countless organizers from Loud Light mobilized Kansans and defeated Amendment 2 – which would have fundamentally restricted abortion access in the state.
Detroit Action helped pass Proposal 3, which enshrined the right to abortion into Michigan’s state constitution.
In Montana, voters rejected dangerous abortion restrictions with the help of Forward Montana.
New Era Colorado relaunched their abortion initiative, The Brazen Project, which aims to smash the stigma against abortions on college campuses and address the false narratives propped up by anti-abortion clinics. New Era organizers are demonstrating fearless examples of community action in the face of crisis.
3 Ways to Continue Protecting Abortion Access
In June, the Supreme Court eliminated the federal constitutional protection of abortion rights set by Roe v. Wade and gave the authority to decide abortion rights to individual states. This decision threatens the lives of millions who will seek an abortion, especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and people working to make ends meet. Let’s fight back.
Here are three ways you can protect abortion after the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
1. Call your Senator
When the decision was leaked in May, the Alliance Network demanded elected leaders take action to protect abortion access. And it is the filibuster that stands in the way of progress. Senate Republicans have already used this “Jim Crow relic’ to block critical voting rights legislation. Call your senator today and tell your legislators to end the filibuster in order to codify our rights to an abortion.
2. Support Abortion Funds and Reproductive Justice Orgs
It will take all hands on deck to protect the lives of pregnant people seeking an abortion and there are many organizations that have been working on abortion access and justice for years. Learn from and donate to these orgs:
abortionfunds.org – The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access
liberateabortion.org – The Liberate Abortion Campaign is an effort comprised of more than 150 reproductive justice and rights groups working in coalition to fight for abortion that is available, affordable, accessible, and stigma-free for anyone who needs it.
reproductiverights.org – The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates who ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights
prochoiceamerica.org – The 2.5 million members of NARAL Pro-Choice America fight for reproductive freedom for every body.
sistersong.net/reproductive-justice – SisterSong is a Southern based, national membership organization to build an effective network to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities.
Youth organizers from orgs like New Era Colorado, Loud Light, Mississippi Votes and more are fighting to protect abortion access. Support these organizations in the network, so we can continue to protect our right to life-saving healthcare.
ICYMI: How the Threat to Abortion Rights Could Mobilize Young Voters
Last month, Alliance Network leaders from Mississippi Votes, New Era Colorado, and Loud Light spoke with NPR host Juana Summers about how young people will take action in a world without the protections of Roe and why we need our elected officials to take action now.
Revisit our post from Mental Health Week last month where we covered why access to an abortion is essential to creating safe and healthy communities.
Research and stories from our community tell us that limiting abortion access will severely affect our mental health. When people do not have resources or the option to make decisions about their bodies, they experience fear, stress, anxiety, depression, and much more.
Abortion is healthcare. And having access to abortion is critical to the mental health of our communities. We deserve the right to make choices about our bodies
Together, we can pressure our elected officials to side with the majority of Americans who believe that abortion access is a human right. Call your senator, support youth organizers, and donate to abortion funds. It’s time to fight back.
How Alliance Organizers are Honoring Juneteenth Today and Always
While we celebrate the Fourth of July as the day the United States won independence from England, Black people in this country would not gain freedom for another 89 years. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 – two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation – that Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War was over and all enslaved people were now free. And now, Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, but this isn’t enough.
We must continue to fight for Black people in the United States to be seen in their full humanity and treated as such. This week, the Alliance is celebrating Juneteenth by highlighting the youth organizers who are fighting for Black liberation in their communities.
Black Liberation in the Alliance Network
We want to celebrate the youth organizers who fight for equal justice and liberation that has yet to be delivered to Black people across the country. Black and Brown liberation organizing takes shape in different forms throughout the network; here’s a look into what the Alliance youth organizers are doing to continue this work in their communities.
Restoration of Voting Rights
Chicago Votes has been leading some of the most revolutionary voting rights through their Unlock Civics program. In 2019, they wrote and passed landmark legislation – the Voting in Jails bill – that expanded voting access for incarcerated citizens who are eligible to vote. This made Cook County Jail the first jail in the country to become an official polling location allowing for 1,500 people in pretrial detention to vote.
Now, they are organizing to pass new legislation that would restore voting rights to people in prison.
Next Up is organizing to pass legislation to restore voting rights to Oregonians in prison. This bill would not only restore voting rights, it would also address the disproportionate silencing of the voices of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx citizens due to their higher rates of imprisonment.
Washington Bus organized to help pass legislation that would immediately restore the right to vote for 26,000 Washingtonians who are convicted of a felony and released from jail, removing complicated and expensive barriers for returning citizens.
Mississippi Votes worked to defend against over 70 voter suppression bills and also supported 52 voter suffrage applications through the state legislature in the 2021 Mississippi legislative session. Today, MS Votes continues to lead voting rights restoration efforts.
Getting Cops out of Schools
Since their founding in 2018, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) has been at the forefront of the fight to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their community. In 2020, after years of organizing, public pressure, and over 1,000 testimonies, the Milwaukee Public School Board unanimously passed a resolution to end all contracts between the Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee Public Schools! They’ve also blocked TSA-style metal detectors from schools and decreased police presence in and around Milwaukee and La Crosse area-schools.
Now, LIT is calling for Wisconsin universities to divest from policing on campuses and reinvest those funds to support BIPOC communities and students in their Dare to Divest campaign.
The Virginia Student Power Network is demanding the immediate dissolution and abolition of the Virginia Commonwealth University police department. They are also calling on the university system to re-allocate those funds to directly support Black and Brown students on campus and increasing support for University Counseling Services. In May of 2021, they took direct action across the state and dropped banners on campuses calling for cops off campus.
Divesting from Police and Holding Police Accountable
Ohio Student Association (OSA) worked in coalition to canvass, host educational events, and collect signatures to pass the Citizens for a Safer Cleveland ballot initiative and won this last November. This initiative would ensure independent civilian oversight of investigations into police misconduct and give final authority on discipline decisions to a board of community leaders.
New Hampshire Youth Movement is supporting the efforts of local Black Lives Matter chapters to defund the police and reinvest that money in local communities across the state. In 2020, they hosted trainings for young people to learn how they can support this work in Manchester, Keene, and Dover by focusing on city council budgets and ballot initiatives. New Hampshire Youth Movement also hosted letter writing workshops for young people to write to their local leaders about reinvesting resources away from police departments and into community services and health initiatives.
This year, they launched “D.A.R.E” – the Don’t Alter Real Education program – to combat critical race theory and other banned topics in New Hampshire schools.
Poder in Action has been holding the police in Arizona accountable for their violence against community members. In 2019, they conducted a report asking community members about their experiences with the police and found experiences of profiling, mistreatment, and distrust. Poder in Action is currently fighting to block additional city funds from being allocated to the police.
Affordable Housing for Black Families
Minnesota Youth Collective is part of the Minneapolis United for Rent Control coalition building a movement for strong rent control, mobilizing to council meetings, and community events. After the rent control ballot measure passed last November, the coalition is fighting for policies that reflect the needs of the majority-renter population in the city. With inflation at 8%, working-class people face a real choice between paying sky-rocketing rents with wages that aren’t keeping up with inflation, moving out of their communities, or losing their homes. Forty-five percent of renters in the metro area have become cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their income on housing. As a result of systemic racism, the homeownership gap between white people in Minnesota and people of color is the fourth-highest in the nation.
Abortion Access is Black Liberation
Mississippi Votes knows that abortion care is essential to Black liberation. The burdens imposed by Mississippi’s law making most abortions illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy falls hardest on people who already face structural barriers to health care, especially Black, Indigenous and other people of color, and those having difficulty making ends meet.The only abortion provider in Mississippi is at the center of the case that could overturn Roe v. Wade. MSVotes is part of the Mississippi Abortion Access Coalition assuring that Mississippians know that they still have access to abortion and contraception.
Spotlighting Black Leaders in the Network
Strong Black leadership is another way we celebrate Black Liberation. Get to know some of the Black leaders throughout the Alliance Network, and the work their orgs are doing this year!
Youth organizers in the Alliance Network know that the fight for Black liberation will transform our communities and create a better future for us all. We’re grateful for their leadership always – but especially today.
Building Power, Organizations, and Leaders: Our 2021 Annual Report
Before embarking on the journey to implement our new five-year strategic plan, we wanted to take some time to celebrate 2021! The Sankofa bird teaches us to go back to the past and bring forward that which is useful. So, before we look forward to 2022 and beyond, let’s take the time to celebrate all the ways the Alliance showed up and showed out in 2021 to fight for our communities, our futures, and our values.
When it comes to elections and civic engagement, we know there’s no such thing as an “off-year.” In 2021, many of the Alliance Network organizations were some of the only organizations engaging their communities ahead of important municipal elections. For example, Forward Montana worked in coalition to pass legislation that would extend the Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force beyond its termination date, while organizers at Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) fought for an end to the policing and criminalization of BIPOC students on Wisconsin’s public university and college campuses.
Leadership Development in our Communities
Every organization in the network hosts powerful training programs to help build the bench of the next generation’s leaders.Throughout the year, Alliance orgs fostered the leadership development and civic education of young people in their communities through internships, fellowships, and other organizing programs. Our network graduated over 200 young people through local programs in 2021!
Leadership Development in the Network
Our Executive Director Bootcamp supported leadership transitions for five women of color in the network this year with a space dedicated to digging in with our national team on operations, fundraising, management, compliance, and more.
Community and Collaboration Through Cohorts
Our cohort spaces were created to serve as a space for communications, program, operations, data, and development peers to meet regularly and work through challenges together and learn from each other. Last year, we built upon our cohort offerings, expanded the program to include staff from Youth Organizing Partners, and launched an advocacy cohort!
Alliance Growth
In addition to bringing on Dakota Hall as our new ED, to better support the ever evolving needs of our network, the Alliance grew in size and in expertise. We added positions to the Communications, Data, Development, and Operations teams and promoted five staff members!
Strategic Planning
We created a strategic plan that directs us to strengthen the network by doing what we do best — centering capacity building for youth-led and focused organizations, raising and distributing funds to the network as a funding intermediary, and expanding the network, with young Black, Indigenous, people of color organizers leading the way.
Thank you for being a part of building youth power, organizations, and leaders in the Alliance Network. Looking back on our successes in 2021 only makes us more excited for what’s to come.
A Look Back on the 2022 Dreams Not Debt Week of Action
In early April, we took a week to dream of a future without student debt. April 4-8th we took a series of actions to tell President Biden the time to cancel student debt is NOW. Here’s a quick recap of the week and how you can keep the momentum going!
Dreams Not Debt Actions
We dropped a new Dreams Not Debt video! At the rally we attended, we asked people what dreams they would make a reality if their student debt was canceled tomorrow. For many young people, student debt is the barrier separating them from their next phase of growth.
To that we say, “no more!” With the stroke of a pen, President Biden can make all these dreams a reality. Sign the Dreams Not Debt petition calling on the Biden Administration to:
Take bolder steps in addressing the student debt crisis by canceling all current student debt
Reform the student loan program to mitigate future student debt
Make public colleges and universities free for all students
Since the launch of the campaign, we’ve been collecting student debt stories. President Biden must hear the words of those with student debt and take action on the student debt crisis.
During the Week of Action, we highlighted the stories from youth organizers in our network, and had the chance to highlight a guest-writer on the Alliance blog! Akii Butler, student organizer with Ohio Student Association, shared his student debt story and what he hopes to do with a life free from his student loans.
Whether you currently have student debt or are worried about future student debt, we want to hear your story. We want to know what future you are not able to dream up for yourself because of student debt.
On Monday, April 4th the Alliance team along with our network organizations Ohio Student Association and Virginia Student Power Network hit the streets to join an in-person rally outside of the U.S. Department of Education hosted by our friends, Debt Collective. Through the power of words, art, and dance, young people from across the country demonstrated the importance of freedom from student debt.
Dreams Not Debt Twitter Chat
On Tuesday April 5th, we hosted a Twitter Chat where we posed several questions to our followers around student debt. Here are some of our favorite tweets from the event:
A1.2: As tuition and fees go up each year, so does the amt of loans needed to cover expenses. The ever-rising cost of college is forcing debt-saddled Black, brown, and poor students to drop out of school #DreamsNotDebthttps://t.co/pogYL4JAAE
— VA Student Power Network (@VAstudentpower) April 5, 2022
— Alliance for Youth Action (@alliance4youth) April 5, 2022
Q4: we know that for Black borrowers cancelling at least $50k of student debt would decrease the racial wealth gap by at least 40% ! #DreamNotDebthttps://t.co/YvLrHkdw52
A6: After we #CancelStudentDebt, let's improve access to a quality education for all! The first step in a comprehensive agenda should include tuition-free community college, increasing wages, and programs like Federal Pell Grants! #DreamsNotDebthttps://t.co/KD6XyZVAGb
Virginia Student Power Network at a rally to cancel student debt in Washington, D.C.
We also shared what Alliance Network orgs are doing to build a debt-free future in their communities. We featured new updates from New Era Colorado, Virginia Student Power Network, Ohio Student Association, and The Washington Bus.
Dakota Hall and Rachael Collyer, Program Director at Ohio Student Association, were quoted in this USA Today article on student debt and how Biden’s lack of action on one of his biggest campaign promises might hurt Democrats in the midterms.
“This is a promise that needs to be delivered on and could have some real implications for Democrats if they can’t,” Collyer said. “Like, actually deliver on the promises and make real change.”
I have dreams, but with student debt they’re just fantasies
by Akii Butler
From my parents to my teachers, everyone told me how important it was to attend college when I grew up. However, no one prepared me for the harsh realities after college, especially the burden of student loans and how hard it would be to find employment. I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio – a city that has gone through many challenges, one of the biggest being the lack of jobs. I was inspired to want more for myself and my family. I believed continuing my education was the solution.
Since graduating from college, student loans have been a dark cloud over my head. The constant phone calls and emails reminding me how much I owe is too much to bear. At one point, I had a loan turned over to the Ohio Attorney General’s office, threatening to garnish my wages. Even with a college degree, it is hard to get a decent-paying job that would allow me to pay my loans back. And with interest constantly building, I fear it may get to a point where I won’t ever be able to pay off the debt.
When President Biden made the campaign promise that he would cancel at least $10,000 of each American’s student debt, I felt like I had the chance to breathe and start over – no longer would the weight of my student debt be on my shoulders. Yet, Biden’s inaction on this campaign promise scares me because the possibility of student debt cancellation becoming a reality seems out of reach. It is too easy to point fingers and say I need to take responsibility because I have committed to pay back these loans. It isn’t that simple. We must not ignore the predatory nature of loan servicers. We can’t overlook how most borrowers can only cover the interest; many people haven’t made a dent in their debt. Or the fact that there is a lack of debt navigation programs and funding for those programs to help graduates understand the process. This system sets borrowers up to fail.
When I reflect on my student loans, it feels like I am in a never-ending cycle. I can defer my loans and get a temporary break from paying them. Still, student loans are just another burden that continuously weighs me down in addition to the cost of rent, utilities, phone, car insurance, car note, and buying groceries. Student loan debt relief was the promise. To not yet deliver on that promise is an outrage.
I have dreams. I want to accomplish so many things in this world before I leave. Whether I choose to put my journalism degree to use and start a magazine or further my education and get my law degree, with the weight of student debt on my shoulders, my dreams look more like fantasies that will never become a reality. But with the stroke of a pen, President Biden can turn this current nightmare of student loan debt into a dream of opportunity where I can build the life I want for me, my family, and my community.
Akii Butler was born in Virginia Beach, VA and raised in Youngstown, OH. He is Ohio Student Association’s student organizer for the Columbus area and Kent State University. Before joining OSA, Akii spent his time organizing as a student at Kent State University, and after with a local organization. During his time with OSA, Akii hopes to make an impact and bring emerging and unique college students together to help make the change they want to see.
Read more student debt stories from the Alliance Network on the Dreams Not Debt page.
How Local Organizations are Building a Debt-Free Future
We believe that higher education should be free and accessible for all. While we are trying to solve the $1.7 trillion student debt crisis at the federal level, it is critical that action be taken at the local level to protect students. That’s why youth-led organizations in the Alliance for Youth Action Network are fighting to protect student borrowers and ensure higher education at every level is accessible and affordable for all.
Last year, our organizers were making moves in reforming education systems in their communities, so we checked in with them again to see how they’re making equitable and accessible education a reality for all. Here’s how they’re doing it:
New Era Colorado
2022 Update
In Spring of 2021, New Era Colorado passed both of their priority bills, the Student Loan Equity Act and Financial Literacy Standards! The New Era team engaged 85 different volunteers to mobilize their peers around student debt last year, which resulted in over 1800 young people taking action. In addition, they developed two educational videos on student debt which led to multiple earned media hits including an interview with Elite Daily and an Op-Ed in the Colorado Sun.
New Era has also helped students through the The New Era Colorado Foundation Student Assistance Fund. This program assists students who owe debts to an institution of higher education through individual grants. So far, they’ve assisted 86 applicants, 79 of those applicants being people of color.
This year, New Era’s priority in legislation is around a harmful student debt practice that inhibits the economic freedom of many young people, particularly young people of color: transcript withholding. HB 22-1049, which would prohibit transcript withholding, just passed the House, and is heading to the governor’s desk very soon where New Era is confident it will be signed into law!
2021
New Era Colorado worked to pass the Student Loan Equity Act—a trailblazing bill that would create protections for private student loan borrowers in Colorado. Private student loans don’t receive many of the basic protections afforded to borrowers of other types of loans. As a result, borrowers are vulnerable to shady loan industry practices, like robo signing and auto-defaulting. The Student Loan Equity Act will protect these borrowers, create greater transparency, and offer better recourse if lenders break the law.
Ohio Student Association
2022 Update
For the last eight years, Ohio Student Association (OSA) has been dedicated to changing the policy landscape for higher education. This year, OSA is fighting to defeat HB 322 and 327, Ohio’s own anti-critical race theory bills, by holding teach-ins, collecting testimonies, and hosting a direct action opposing the bills. They’re also working to get debt navigation programs passed in state legislatures to end Transcript Traps.
In regards to Black student equity, OSA is making big moves this year! Their Black Student Equity Report will survey Black students’ experiences at colleges and universities statewide. This report will be the first of its kind. It will assess affordability and equity issues that uniquely affect Ohio’s Black student population.
2021
The Ohio Student Debt Association has worked hard to center student voices in these fights and uplift student debt stories. They are working in coalition with other organizations across the state to tackle student debt. Read their report with Policy Matters Ohio on higher education in Ohio. The OSA team met with Senator Sherrod Brown and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur to share student debt stories.
Virginia Student Power Network
2022 Update
Virginia Student Power Network (VSPN) is continuing to protect the progress they’ve made on recent higher education wins, including passing legislation to provide in-state tuition and state financial aid for undocumented students in Virginia! Right now, VSPN is supporting legislation that would increase access and reduce barriers to higher education for students.
On campuses, VSPN organizers at University of Virginia won a tuition freeze at their university, meaning tuition rates on this campus are guaranteed to stay stagnant until the 2024-2025 academic year. Their staff has also done research to increase transparency on campuses around federal stimulus funding for Virginia universities. Throughout the VSPN network, students are demanding tuition freezes, hybrid classes, mask mandates, availability of testing on campus, and funding for mental health resources.
2021
VSPN has a track record of organizing and winning issue-based campaigns for college affordability across the state. In 2014, they won a campaign to create a $1 million emergency fund at George Mason University for low-income, first-generation, undocumented, and homeless students. For four years in a row, they have mobilized students for annual advocacy days at the General Assembly calling for an end to student debt and free public college.
During the 2020 legislative session, Virginia Student Power Network worked in a broad coalition and engaged 30 student leaders to advocate for in-state tuition for undocumented students, which was selected by the Governor as a priority bill and was written into law after a 15-year fight. They built upon this work during the 2021 legislative session, and Virginia is now the seventh state in the nation to give undocumented students access to state financial aid!
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they launched a statewide pressure campaign on universities to provide equitable COVID-19 relief to students, staff, and community members. They conducted research on federal CARES Act and American Rescue funding to Virginia schools to illuminate the fact that universities were still profiting from the deadly pandemic while students were incurring more debt than ever. Student organizers at the University of Virginia fought and won a tuition freeze through their “COVID Action Now” campaign. VCU student organizers held a town hall with administration and hundreds of students, faculty and staff to hold the university accountable for mishandling the pandemic.
Washington Bus
2022 Update
The Washington Bus team spent this legislative session mobilizing on College Equity on House Bills 1659 and 1840. HB 1659 would have expanded Washington’s Higher Education grant program to include more folks to receive the full grant. This bill would have also added bridge grants to recipients for things outside of tuition and fees. HB 1840 was the core of the draft legislation Washington Bus organizers worked on with Communities for our Colleges. This bill would have established the task force on improving equity and diversity at the community technical colleges, and expanded mental health counseling to an additional four colleges.
Sadly both bills haven’t made it into law, but the Washington Bus team is continuously pushing to make bridge grants available to students, stronger equity and diversity initiatives on campuses, and more mental health resources a reality for more students across the state.
2021
The Washington Bus helped to pass the Our Colleges our Future Act! They won a $33 million investment in Community and Technical Colleges (CTCs) in Washington State, with a focus on racial equity and investment in low-income, BIPoC students. This bill included mandating diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plans for all CTCs in Washington, winning funding for 200 new full-time faculty positions, funding for a pilot mental health counseling program, and funding for outreach and retention program for BIPoC students. The Our Colleges Our Future Act also changed residency requirements to make financial aid more accessible for undocumented students. Community Colleges are the backbone of our higher education system, and the Washington Bus worked tirelessly alongside partners to make sure they are investing in the education of BIPoC and low-income students.
Join our Dreams Not Debt Campaign
Wanna take action around student debt? Check out our Dreams Not Debt campaign! Millions are putting their futures on hold – buying a house, getting married, having children – because they can barely keep up with their monthly student loan payments. We’re urging the Biden administration to keep their campaign promises and cancel ALL student debt.
We are in a massive student debt crisis. $1.7 trillion is owed by 44 million people across the country, disproportionately impacting Black and Brown youth. That’s why we launched Dreams Not Debt – our campaign to put pressure on President Biden to deliver on his campaign promise to forgive student loans and take even bolder steps to address the student debt crisis. Dreams Not Debt also invites student loan borrowers to tell us their dreams of a future without student debt holding them back. Will you join us?
PICK UP THE PEN, JOE: April 4th Day of Action for Student Debt Cancellation
The Alliance team is hitting the streets! We’re joining our friends at Debt Collective alongside our network organizations Ohio Student Association and Virginia Student Power Network in Washington D.C. in front of the Department of Education for a Student Debt Cancellation Action!
Check out our Instagram for updates!
Tuesday, April 5th
Dreams Not Debt Twitter Chat at 2pm ET
Join us for a Twitter Chat about the effects of the student debt crisis and how we can create a debt-free future.
Check back for or updates on how our network organizers are fighting to change the policy landscape for education at every level!
Thursday, April 7th
Student Debt Stories
We’ll be highlighting student debt stories on our social media. Whether you currently have student debt or are worried about future student debt, we want to hear your story. Stories are a powerful tool in the fight to pressure elected officials to take action.
Stay updated by following the Alliance on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! And when you participate in these events throughout the week, don’t forget to tag us and hashtag #DreamsNotDebt.
Young People Respond to the State of the Union: Keep Pushing Biden to Take Youth Priorities Seriously
This week, President Biden took the stage to deliver his first State of the Union Address where he spoke directly to the American people about his vision for the nation. And then it was our turn.
There were major hits like Biden’s enthusiasm to nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black woman to join the Supreme Court and President Biden addressing COVID-19 on day one. The American Rescue Plan provided the essential overdue help that young people needed – especially Black, Latinx, and Indigenous youth and their families who have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19.
But there were also major misses. At one point, his congressional colleagues cheered as Biden declared the answer to the recent spike in crime rates is to provide more funding to the police. We want more care for our communities, not more criminalization. Biden also failed to mention policy issues important to young people like the Build Back Better bill and student debt. A national poll we conducted in January showed that the majority of young people – 62% – support some form of student loan debt forgiveness. President Biden promised to deliver relief through debt cancellation and it’s time for him to follow through. President Biden can use his executive power to take action right now to deliver for the people. See how you can take action through our Dreams Not Debt campaign.
President Biden addressed the nation, then it was our turn.
On Instagram Live, Alliance Executive Director Dakota Hall joined Marlén Mendoza from Youth Action Hour & Young People Address the Nation and Eve Levenson from Youth In Gov to talk about President Biden’s address and what it meant for young people. They discussed what issues we still want to see action on and how we can keep the Biden Administration accountable to young voters who will be a key voting bloc for years to come.
“We have to make sure the Biden Administration is taking youth priorities seriously…I’m talking about investment into schools, investment into higher education, investment into youth mental health services, housing, food…Everything is interconnected.”
— Alliance for Youth Action (@alliance4youth) March 2, 2022
We are happy to hear President Biden talk about creating more job opportunities. Young voters are looking for political leaders in DC to fight for all people, and not just the wealthy. We need more job opportunities for young people. #SOTUpic.twitter.com/Fn0bZsuCkW
— Alliance for Youth Action (@alliance4youth) March 2, 2022
— Alliance for Youth Action (@alliance4youth) March 2, 2022
Young People Address the Nation
Alliance Network organizers shared their own messages on the state of the union with Young People Address the Nation.
On Twitter, Loud Light Community Organizer Logan Byrd shared her thoughts on the importance of upholding our democracy, and giving young people a seat at the table.
Speaking on Justice, Mississippi Votes organizer Taylor Turnage said, “true justice means the fair treatment of people of all races resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all.”
And over on Instagram, Izzy Milch from Forward Montana highlights three revolutionary individuals that inspire them
“I think a lot about how so much of queer organizing and the gay pride movement sort of coalesced around gay marriage as ‘the big thing,’ but that’s not all it’s about. It’s about our rights to be alive and live these lives in public, so I think a lot about [Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy] and continuing their work today.”
Our Latest Poll: Young People on the State of the Nation
One year ago, President Biden took office with Democratic control of the House and Senate because young people turned out across the country to deliver their victories in 2020. But right now, it is clear that young people believe the Biden Administration and both parties in Congress are failing them.
Our sister organization, Alliance for Youth Organizing, in collaboration with Civiqs, surveyed young voters ages 17 – 39 nationwide from across the political spectrum. We asked how they feel about the country’s future, what policies the Biden Administration should prioritize, how they plan to engage this year leading up to the midterm elections, and more.
This poll should ring the alarm for political leaders in Washington to focus on the policy priorities that young people care about well ahead of November.
Political leaders need to make a major course correction to court young voters this fall
When asked about the future of the United States, sixty-six percent of young voters said they feel pessimistic. Gen-Zers were the most cynical of the group. When asked about national politicians, most young people said they have a negative view of politicians in DC and Congress as a whole. In fact, no national politicians or parties in Congress are viewed positively by most young people in America. The majority of young people – fifty-six percent – say they are frustrated with politicians in Washington, D.C. However, young voters feel more positive about their local governments, highlighting the importance of year-round local organizing to civically engage more young people.
Young people are clear about their policy demands
Nearly half of young people, including twenty-one percent of Democrats, do not believe the Biden Administration is working on policies that positively impact their lives. Instead, more than seventy percent of young people believe politicians prioritize the interests of wealthy Americans, a view shared by Democrats, Independents, and even Republicans. Young voters want to see elected leaders in Washington prioritize increasing taxes on the rich, transitioning to clean energy, Medicare for All, stronger voting rights protections, and canceling student debt.
Young voters will be a critical electoral force this November
Despite negative views on national politicians, interest in voting in the midterms is still high amongst young people – eighty-nine percent say they intend to vote this year. They also indicated that supporting more young people to run for office is the best way to get politicians to work on policies that benefit young people.
Young people are sending a clear message to our elected leaders – you’re failing us. Just last week, the Senate failed to pass crucial voting rights legislation and President Biden has yet to deliver on his promises like student loan debt forgiveness. But youth organizers in the Alliance Network will not stop combating voter suppression in their states, fighting for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and youth of color to have access to the ballot box, and mobilizing Gen-Zers and Millennials to stand by their demands.
Now, it is time for our elected officials in Washington to have the same energy and commitment as youth organizers on the ground.
