Title
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the November 17, 1967 Citywide Black Student Walkout, and honoring the continuing tradition of youth organizing and activism around education equity and racial justice in the City of Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, The Black Power Movement marked a period in which cross-generational activists in the City of Philadelphia organized mass protests and boycotts in order to speak truth to power; and
WHEREAS, In 1967, Black students joined and expanded the growing Black Power Movement by writing a student bill of rights and demanding community control of their public schools; and
WHEREAS, Black students decried the African American student dropout rate, and called for a greater representation of African Americans in the teaching force, administration, and governance of their schools as well as the teaching of African American History; and
WHEREAS, School administrators at a number of high schools refused to recognize Black student unions as legitimate clubs; students sought recognition of these unions in order to strengthen their voice and role in school policies and governance; and
WHEREAS, Students who protested racial injustice and school segregation demanded the right to refuse to salute the United States flag or say the pledge of allegiance without penalty, greater representation of Black students in union-sponsored apprenticeship programs, the freedom to express themselves through wearing African clothes and jewelry, and the use of African names; and
WHEREAS, Walter Palmer of the Black Peoples Unity Movement and William Mathis of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality provided youth activists with training and resources to develop an organizing strategy and create a student bill of rights; and
WHEREAS, Youth organizations such as the Student Action Committee and the Central Coordinating Committee dedicated significant time, energy, and spirit to create demands around issues of r...
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