(Sept. 1, 2010)

(CFJ Oakland 2010 SYLA graduates celebrate)

This August, we graduated our 9th  annual Summer Youth Leadership Academy (SYLA) class.  Across California, forty-five amazing, talented, and dedicated future movement builders completed an intensive seven-week curriculum on organizing. 

CFJ Long Beach graduated ten SYLA students and two Advanced SYLA students.   Their End-of-SYLA event gathered over sixty-four students, parents, and community members to the Marguerite Kiefer Education Center to discuss healthy schools and race relations in Long Beach schools.  They received media coverage from La Opinion (click here ).  Highlights of the summer included a visit with City Councilmember Robert Garcia and  the community organizations Educated Men With Meaningful Messages (EM3) and Weed ‘n Seed.  Through outreach, yearbook ad sales, dues, and their summer pitch, they raised $318.24 towards their program and campaign.   They closed out their summer with a barbeque at Cesar Chavez Park.

CFJ Fresno graduated six SYLA students and one Advanced SYLA student.  Their End-of-SYLA event brought together ninety-seven people concerned with the high drop-out rate to Calwa Park.  They received media coverage from Radio Bilingue, Fox News, and CBS News (click here).   Highlights of their summer included a talk with Vincent Harris, who works with Fresno Unified’s District and School Accountability and Improvement Office, and visits with the kNOw Youth Media and the Youth Leadership Institute.  Their collective fundraising brought in $539.97 towards their campaign and program.  To close their summer, they continued their social justice education by visiting the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

 CFJ San Jose graduated eleven SYLA students and four Advanced SYLA students.  Ninety-six people attended their End-of-Summer event at Overfelt High School to discuss an A-G Curriculum for all students in the East Side Union High School District.  They were covered by Univision, KTVU 2, and La Oferta (click here ), and El Observador (click here ).  Highlights of their summer included visits with ESUHSD Superintendent Dan Moser, Assemblymember Joe Coto’s office, and the San Jose Mercury News.  All total, they raised $649.76 from their fundraising efforts.   Fun day was day at the park, camping, river rafting, American River. 

CFJ Oakland graduated nine SYLA students and one advanced SYLA student.  For their End-of-Summer event at the Oakland Main Library, fifty community members turned out to support the program and learn about their work in Oakland public schools and community colleges.   Highlights of their summer included visits with Alison McDonald, Oakland Unified’s Network Officer, Bikes for Life, and New America Media.  For the summer, they raised $330.38.   They closed their summer with a day of bowling in Alameda.

GRASSROOTS COALITION SUES CALIFORNIA OVER SCHOOL FUNDING

Says State Violating Fundamental Right to Education by Shortchanging Students

(July 12, 2010)

Oakland—A coalition of grassroots groups and individuals representing thousands of low-income students and parents from across California is suing the State of California over a school funding system that the Governor’s own Committee on Education Excellence said is “not equitable;…not efficient; and…not sufficient for students who face the greatest challenges.”

The lawsuit calls on the State to live up to its constitutional responsibility and “provide all California public school students with a new school finance system that sufficiently and equitably supports its public schools, so that every child has a reasonable opportunity to obtain a meaningful education that prepares them for civic, social, and economic success in the 21st century.”

Plaintiffs in the case include the Campaign for Quality Education (CQE), Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Californians for Justice (CFJ) and San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP), plus more than 20 individual students and parents. They are represented by Public Advocates Inc., a San Francisco-based public interest law firm and advocacy group that also served as a lead counsel in Williams v. California and Serrano v. Priest, as well as Howard Rice, and Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, two prominent national law firms serving as pro bono counsel.

To read the entire press release or learn more about the historic CQE et al v. California lawsuit, go to www.fairschoolsnow.org

CFJ Actions Across the State (Recap)

For the last few weeks, the voices of Californians for Justice have echoed from Long Beach to Sacramento. In addition to our statewide rally on May 11th, each CFJ region carried out their local campaign event as well. Here's a recap of all the excitement:

ACTIONS

CFJ Statewide: On May 11, our four regions as well as our allies in the Campaign for Quality Education united at the State Capitol building for "M.I.A.:  California Ditching Schools" to speak out and offer solutions to California's poor performance in education from 2000 to 2010.   Following the speakout, members of CFJ and the CQE met with over 40 legislators to share our concerns and solutions. Click here to read CFJ student leader Jolene Rodriguez's op-ed about the day.

CFJ Fresno: On April 28, students from CFJ Fresno, dressed in graduation gowns, marched in downtown Fresno, to rally against the high drop-out rate among low-income youth and youth of color. In front of the school board that night, student leaders and lead organizer Ernesto Saavedra presented their recommendations, including more transparency and uniform discipline policies throughout the district. 

CFJ Long Beach: On May 8, CFJ Long Beach kicked off a new campaign called "Food For Thought" with a community heatlh forum at the Long Beach Main Library.  The new campaign will look at the intersection of racial, educational, and environmental justice, especially near Cabrillo High which is surrounded by freeways, the port, and oil refineries.  About 40 community members and allies attended the forum, which featured powerful speeches, strategy sessions, and creative solutions. 

CFJ San Jose: Najla Gomez and Miguel Ortiz took the stage to emcee San Jose's rally entitled "A-G Graduate with Me." Over 50 student leaders, allies, alumni, and supporters attended to defend the education budget and to support the A-G requirements.  The push for the A-G Subject Requirements would mean implementing CSU and UC requirements as high school graduation requirements, which would ensure all graduates are eligible to apply for a UC or CSU.

CFJ Oakland: CFJ Oakland is currently gearing up for their June 4th event - an ice cream social for Laney College and Oakland High to celebrate their success in getting students to become more engaged and active in school. Oakland organizer, Hannibal Caldwell, explains the social will also motivate students to continue "putting issues in their mind into art." During the social, attendees will graffiti poster paper, which will be posted around the school to create visibility for soulful art and to recruit members for this year's SYLA.

JUSTICE LEAGUE CAMPAIGN

CFJ would like to thank everyone who supported our annual Justice League Campaign.  Whether it was  listening to updates, making a one-time donation, becoming a new member, or upgrading your support, YOU make  our work possible.  This year's campaign reached hundreds of CFJ supporters and raised over $5,000!  If you haven't donated, there's still time.  Please click here to do so.  

SYLA

Lastly, as summer is approaching, our lead organizers are excitedly preparing for SYLA, CFJ's intensive 7-week Summer Youth Leadership Academy, which will train over thirty future movement leaders across the state. As a SYLA graduate myself, I found that the intensive training in public speaking, media advocacy, community outreach, fundraising and event planning prepared me well to be a committee chair the following school year. I honestly had so much fun in the program in addition to how much I learned .  The friends and mentors I gained from this program made that summer one to remember. 

(Written by CFJ Communications Intern Michelle Thai)

We Want You!  CFJ is Currently Hiring

(July, 2010)   Californians for Justice currently has an opening for a Statewide Campaign Director.

For detailed job descriptions, please go here.