Selina Garcia Gets Free!

On Thursday, March 27th, the Youth Organizing Institute and NC HEAT mobilized approximately 30 of Selina’s community members to pack the courthouse on her court date, wearing green to show our support. It was clear that our efforts to uplift Selina’s voice and her powerful story had the judge, the social workers, and the SRO […]

Teen Convening 2014: Exploring Intersectionality

Friday, March 21st, over 40 youth representing eight different organizations in North Carolina convened at Durant Nature Park for a full weekend of workshops, campfires, outdoor fun, and bridge building at the Youth Organizing Institute’s 2nd Annual Building Bridges Teen Convening. The turnout for this year’s Teen Convening was nearly double that of our first year. In […]

Selina Garcia Statement – This must stop

Sign the petition – tell Wake County the #EndThePipeline Raleigh – On March 7, 2014 Selina Garcia, a senior at Southeast Raleigh high school was suspended from school because of allegations that she committed level II infractions on a school bus – “physical aggression/fighting” and “class/activity disturbance.” Her administrator suspended her for 5 days, noting that […]

School Board HEATing up

On March 18th 2014 NC HEAT, EJA and YOI attended the Wake County School board meeting with a powerful message and presence. Each NC HEAT member wore an orange jail jumpsuit to bring attention to the school-to- prison-pipeline epidemic in Wake County.  Several Wake county students and parents spoke out against the punitive discipline practices such […]

Front Page Articles

Racial justice, safety, and school equity should be front page every week – and this week they are! This week our ongoing work to raise awareness about school policing and how it contributes the school-to-prison made the front page of two Triangle-area newspapers. Check out the articles that highlight ongoing community and coalition efforts to stop over policing and end the […]

Mission Critical film screening

Watch the documentary here On Saturday Feb. 22, over 100 community members met to discuss issues of push out and policing in the public schools. The members varied from students and parents to concerned citizens. There was a short documentary screening hosted by Advocates for Children Services and a post discussing facilitated by the Youth […]

NC HEAT with Dignity in Schools at the White House

On February 19, Dignity in Schools Campaign members Ramiyah Robinson of NC HEAT and Marlyn Tillman of Gwinnett SToPPspoke on a panel on Reducing Disparities and Promoting Positive Discipline hosted by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. The panel discussion highlighted the joint federalSchool Discipline Guidance released by the Departments of Education and Justice and […]