Congratulations to Jasmine Lynn, Jasmine Valentino, and Nailah Heard for being selected as Social Justice Fellows. The program is being piloted this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The program was designed in cooperation with the MPS Office of Equity and Diversity, the Social Studies Depart, AVID Program, College and Career Readiness Department and in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice.

In 2014, the Office of Equity and Diversity (E&D) partnered with the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program, the Office of College and Career Readiness, and the Social Studies Department to develop a pilot pipeline program designed to prepare a cohort of Social Justice Fellows who will use their knowledge, skills and passion to positively impact their community now and in the future
Students were selected to participate in this pilot seminar,Race, Law and Public Policy: Then and Now, which included:

• Seminars taught by college professors, community leaders and MPS staff
• A civil rights research tour of significant historical sites in the south
• Visits to colleges and universities in Alabama and Georgia

The program includes enrollment in a U of M Course (especially designed) called Race, Law and Public Policy; Then and Now. The students also embarked upon a Civil Rights tour over spring break. The tour included: Birmingham, AL; Montgomery, AL; Tuskegee, AL and Atlanta, GA. The students experiencee and toured many places tied to the struggle for equal rights. Read the article at http://equitydiversity.mpls.k12.mn.us/in_the_news.html