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Happy Black Futures Month!

As the first Black Executive Director of the Alliance, I’m so proud to see a new generation of Black leaders in our network rise to make a change in their communities. As we celebrate Black history by honoring the triumphs of Black Americans who led movements before us, we must also recognize the Black young people who are making history today by paving the way for a better, brighter future.
To highlight Black youth organizers of the Alliance this month, we’re launching a new digital media series - Youth Organizer Spotlights. [[link removed]] This storytelling project will focus on the individual narratives of youth organizers who drive the collective local organizing power in the Alliance Network. This Black Futures Month, learn how Black youth organizers are honoring their ancestors and creating thriving communities for future generations.
Youth Organizer Spotlights: Black Futures Month Edition
We sat down with three Black youth organizers in our network to hear how their work drives a thriving Black future, the elders in their communities who inspire them, and what they want young people of the future to know about their work today.
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[link removed] [[link removed]] Kiah Sandler - Chicago Votes
Development Associate
she/her/hers
“I want to empower young people to always understand that living in their truth and existing in happiness is creating Black History. Anything that perpetuates Black Joy is a testament to our resiliency as a people.”
Jessica Saint-Fleur - Engage Miami [link removed] [[link removed]]
Lead Organizer and Member Engagement Manager
she/her/they
“I think for young Black people like myself, [organizing] is really empowering to see how much power we do actually hold, and how much power we can take back…The more organizing and advocacy power that we have, the more knowledge we hold.”
[link removed] [[link removed]] Taylor Turnage - Mississippi Votes
Youth Civic Engagement Coordinator Colleges & Universities
she/her/hers
"...to know that [my community Black elder] is still alive and well, and still pushing and fighting for what he believes in gave me the courage to say ‘hey, who am I to let a little fear stop being what he is to me to someone else in the future?’ And hopefully with that encounter and that protest I was able to inspire one mind to stand up for what they believe in and not only stand up for themselves, but stand up for their community."
Jasmine Baker - Leaders Igniting Transformation [link removed] [[link removed]]
Northwestern Campus Organizer
she/her/hers
"I just hope the future generation knows that a lot of the work you’re doing at first may not seem like there’s anything really happening but every day as the world keeps turning things are happening. Every word you say, every conference room you step in, every meeting you’re having, every rally you’re planning means something."
See More of Our Youth Organizer Spotlights [[link removed]]
Continue the Celebration
Continue celebrating Black History and Black Futures with these resources.
What We're Reading
You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down by Alice Walker [[link removed]]
Kindred by Octavia Butler [[link removed]]
All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks [[link removed]]
We Do This 'Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba [[link removed]]
Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham [[link removed]]
How Long Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin [[link removed]]
Carefree Black Girls by Zeba Blay [[link removed]]
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones [[link removed]]
What We're Watching
Abbott Elementary [[link removed]] - From the mind of internet sensation, Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary follows a group of dedicated and passionate teachers defying odds to help their students at a Philadelphia elementary school succeed.
Sojournies [[link removed]] on YouTube - Sojourner White, international social worker and travel blogger.
Tracy Joseph [[link removed]] on TikTok - Black creator, and the source of some of your favorite viral TikTok dances
Inspiration Station
“Every day, we write the future / Together, we sign it / Together, we declare it / We share it / For this truth marches on / Inside each of us.” -Amanda Gorman, “Believer’s Hymn for the Republic”
"We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us." - Congressman John Lewis
Join us in celebrating Black Futures Month by checking out our full-length Youth Organizer Spotlights in our latest blog post [[link removed]] , and uplift their stories on Facebook [[link removed]] , Instagram [[link removed]] , and Twitter [[link removed]] .
To Black Futures,
Dakota Hall
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Alliance for Youth Action
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