Dignity in Schools Campaign’s 15th National Week of Action Comes to Houston: Grassroots Organizers Stand Against School Pushout and Institutional Racism
New York, NY, October 18, 2024 — The Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) is excited to announce its 15th National Week of Action Against School Pushout, taking place from October 19-27, 2024. This year’s theme, “Wake Up! Resist, Reimagine, and Rebuild Public Education”, calls on grassroots organizers, students, parents, educators, and advocates across the country to come together and take bold steps in transforming public education from the ground up.
In this critical moment of social change, grassroots communities are rising up alongside young people around the world, demanding that schools serve as spaces that empower students and prepare them for a more just and equitable future. Students in the U.S. have long been at the forefront of this movement, pushing for a public education system that truly serves them and their communities. They are calling for fully funded, police-free schools, a truthful and inclusive curriculum, and an end to policies that criminalize and marginalize students. These demands align with DSC’s ongoing fight to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and end harmful practices like corporal punishment, which our southern members continue to organize against.
In 2023, during the National Week of Action, our fight in Mississippi rallied grassroots supporters from across the region. A few months later, nearly twenty organizers from Mississippi made the journey to Texas to stand in solidarity with Darryl George, a young man facing exclusion and discrimination for wearing his natural hair. Darryl’s case highlights how school dress codes and safety policies continue to be used as tools of social control and racial discrimination, even 70 years after “separate but equal” was struck down by the Supreme Court.
This year, for the 2024 Week of Action, Southern organizers from Mississippi, Louisiana, and North Carolina will convene in Houston, Texas, to continue the work of resisting state takeovers, school policing, and exclusionary discipline practices. DSC members will come together to strategize, engage in local actions, and connect with students, parents, and educators in Houston to fight back against right-wing attacks on progressive education.
While there’s a strong emphasis on southern organizing, DSC member Cheryl Morris of 412 Justice reminds us that this struggle is nationwide.
“In Pittsburgh, we are facing massive school closures. We want to be intentional in demanding something more for our children. We are fighting for equitable, inclusive planning that is not only visionary but also built with love to serve our children’s future.”
Across the country, DSC members will host film screenings, direct actions, teach-ins, and more—all geared toward raising awareness and mobilizing communities for education justice. To find local events or actions, visit www.dignityinschools.org or connect with us on social media.
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About DSC:
The Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) is a national coalition working to end the school-to-prison pipeline and fight for the human right to education through grassroots organizing, advocacy, and community empowerment.
For more information, to schedule interviews, or to connect with DSC members in your area, please contact Tafari Melisizwe, Communications Coordinator, at tafari(at)dignityinschools.org.
