There are a lot of things that we don't know about our history, even after taking years of courses in school. For instance, did you know that an African American inventor, Henry Sampson, helped create the first cell phone? Did you know that the automatic doors of an elevator were invented and patented by a black man named Alexander Miles? What about the blood plasma bag... Did you know a black man pioneered that as well? Yeah.. Me either!  His name was Charles Richard Drew. 

At the heart of our "Did You Know" Youth Racial Justice Program, we look to unmask the covert forms of racism that live within our country, and shed light on information that is commonly unknown in the younger generation. These programs are not only offered to youth groups, but they are also offered in a Conference-wide setting where we try to get youth from around the state to engage in conversation around racism, together. 

At our last Conference-wide "Did You Know" Youth Racial Justice Program, there were many young people who didn't know. Not only were they unaware of the long term effects of institutional racism and its effect on groups of people of color, but many were also unaware of the ways racism is alive today. However, there was one young man that stood out from the group and here we share his story! 

Black Lives Matter

My fellow black people are being shot down
Even though you white people do the same crimes
You are afraid that we look different
That is what we call discrimination
There once was an incident when two black men were at a Starbucks
And the waitress called 911 and said they were trespassing
If a white man did the same thing she would have done nothing
White people get privilege
Blacks get discriminated against
More of my fellow blacks are being shot to death
All you can hear is “Don’t Shoot, Don’t Shoot!”
The next thing you know they are looking at the top of a casket
Why are you shooting?
Why are you scared?
We are just people
We are all the same
We all have bones and flesh
The only difference is skin tones and beliefs
What are you afraid of?
All over the country, there are white men shooting my fellow blacks
I’m scared to even listen to the news in the mornings
The next time you go to call the cops, stop and get to know the person better
Our lives matter
 
By: Ramon Schreier, 12 years old

If you are interested in having a Youth Racial Justice Program with your youth group, or hosting one of our conference wide events, visit ctucc.org/racialjustice and fill out our request form!