Title
Commending and honoring Taryn JiHae Flaherty for her steadfast commitment to bringing Philadelphia’s history of student activism and protest politics into the national spotlight, and for winning first place in Pennsylvania and second place nationwide in the 2019 National History Day competition.
Body
WHEREAS, Taryn JiHae Flaherty is a student at Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, and is dedicated to exploring American history through the lens of social justice and racial equity. As part of her sophomore year, she took the District’s mandated African American Studies class with her teacher, Ms. Liz Taylor, who encouraged each student to participate in the National History Day competition, which enables over half a million students around the world to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice; and
WHEREAS, As this year’s National History Day theme was “Triumph and Tragedy in History,” Flaherty explored how the legacy of student activism in the City of Philadelphia inspired the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, led to the election of some of the City’s most prominent Black politicians, and resulted in the District’s African American Studies curricular mandate-all in the face of police violence; and
WHEREAS, Flaherty spent the year meticulously studying the 1967 Black Student Walkouts in Philadelphia, delving into the Free Library of Philadelphia, Temple’s Urban Archives, and conducting numerous interviews with elders who courageously participated in the marches; and
WHEREAS, Flaherty’s project, “Black Studies Now! Philadelphia’s 1967 Black Student Walkouts,” forces a conversation about how our country’s educational system interrogates issues of race, representation, student organizing, and equity. Her project explored complicated dynamics of social history, confronting Philadelphia’s legacy of racism and police brutality and uplifting the writing of Black journalists and reporters who worked to publish youth stories and demand accountability for police violence against youth activists; and
WHEREAS, Flaherty’s work also uplifted youth organizing and activism in the face of adversity, demanding education equity and racial justice in the City of Philadelphia. The legacy of the walkouts created space for youth activists today to continue to build movements around social, racial, and economic justice. As she wrote: “The history of student activism should inspire us to realize the power and vision of young people in times of injustice. . . It is up to us, the new generation, to continue the legacy of student activism, changing the world one walkout at a time”; and
WHEREAS, Flaherty’s exhibit shined on the local, state, and national stage. She was awarded second place in her category in the City competition, and first in the Pennsylvania state competition. At the national competition, she competed against hundreds of state champions and international competitors in College Park, Maryland; and
WHEREAS, On June 13, 2019, Taryn JiHae Flaherty was awarded second place in the nation for her exhibit on the 1967 Philadelphia Black Student Walkouts. Her diligent historical research and passion for critically engaging with Philadelphia’s history sets a model for the way in which researchers can and should study the history of youth movement building and racial justice organizing in order to further understand the arc of social and racial justice in United States history; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Council of the City of Philadelphia, Commends and honors Taryn JiHae Flaherty for her steadfast commitment to bringing Philadelphia’s history of student activism and protest politics into the national spotlight, and for winning first place in Pennsylvania and second place nationwide in the 2019 National History Day competition.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Ms. Flaherty as evidence of the true and sincere admiration of this legislative body.
End