Manhattan’s Beacon High School students are fighting for racial equity in NYC’s highly segregated school system. Three student activists talk about their experiences in the elite public school, the student-led demonstrations and teach ins, and the Beacon Union of Unions’ comprehensive list of demands.

References

Beacon’s Union of Unions: click here to see their Policy Demands

Overview

00:00-00:47 Intros

00:47-05:54 Students’ experiences at Beacon

05:54-12:41 Student demands

12:41-15:12 Anti-racist curriculum

15:12-16:24 Teens Take Charge

16:24-18:27 What teachers need to do in making change

18:27-21:34 First Beacon demonstration in Fall 2019

21:34-27:26 December incident, response planning, and sit-in

27:26-31:01 Sit-in’s impact on relationships among students and with teachers

31:01-33:23 Sources of support for students’ June demands to administration

33:23-34:06 Administration’s response 

34:06-36:15 Talking with students at other schools

36:15-37:10 Connections with Movement for Black Lives

37:10-37:40 Whites must choose between being racist and anti-racist

37:40-39:14 Outro

Transcription

Click here to see the full transcription of the episode. 

Credits

Photo: facebook.com/teenstakechargenyc and NYC Daily News

Soundtrack by Podington Bear