Speed Matching & The March for Black Women of Denver

Last week was exciting and eventful from beginning to end.

We spent the better part of the week doing our Speed Matching sessions where students were stationed at paired desks around the room and were expected to interview each other for 5 minutes each. This week was important attendance wise because these interviews determined who they were matched with for the rest of the year. After each interview they took private notes on how their interview went and once every mentee interviewed every mentor, and vise versa, students were given a request sheet to explain why they would benefit from being paired with their chosen mentee. While students were out of rotation we played team builder games and played music to give the interviewers privacy... Christmas music, might I add :-D It was a blast.

The week was great but the highlight of the week undoubtedly related to taking my students to the March for Black Women of Denver on Saturday. The event outlined as follows:
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Join Black Women and Women of Color as we March and Mobilze Against Oppression. 

2018 Agenda sheds light on the impact if Youth Violence, Sexual Abuse, and Deportation on Black and Brown Women.

Guest Host Tish Beauford!

Come prepared to march! Hear from Powerful Speakers! Artists! Spoken Word! Musicians and more! 

Featuring: Jeanette Vizguerra - Kerrie Joy - Danette Hollowell - Benzel Jimmerson - Lady Speech - O'Neil Rudolph and more!
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My favorite speaker was spoken word poet, Kerrie Joy. I have seen Ms. Joy at many other Marches in Denver where she recites one of my favorites by her- I'm Rooting for Everybody Black. Here is a link to her poem as recited at the MLK march below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyzVW6XBtCM

It was inspiring to say the least, and watching my students listen intently while holding signs was truly a milestone in my career. They were engaged, they were passionate, and most importantly, they were showing up to make a change in this world- which is everything that not only YESS stands for, but everything my own personal soul stands for. The combination of youth activism and self-love is a beautiful recipe for radical change in this world.

After the march Lizbeth (sophomore) and Shalayah (senior) and I went out to eat at City O then went to a bookstore where we all picked up a copy of The Hate U Give which is about sixteen-year-old Starr Carter who is the only witness to her friend Khalil’s fatal shooting at the hands of a police officer. On top of dealing with the emotional aftermath of such an awful event, being at the scene throws her into the middle of the investigation. As the attention on the shooting grows nationally, what she does—or doesn’t—say, could change everything. The Hate U Give also deals with friendships in the face of subtle racial tensions, the struggle to keep family united in the face of differing views, and what it really means to pursue a better life for yourself and the ones you love.

I'm excited that they are so involved in Social Justice enough to spend their Saturday making their voices heard at a March and enough to pick up a book related to the issue to read in their free time. My faith is constantly restored in the youth when I am hanging out with my students, they are strong, resilient, and their voices matter. I hope whoever is reading this can feel inspired by them in the same way I consistently am.

Until next week,
Ms. C