Let's Go There: Making a Case for Race, Ethnicity and a Lived Civics Approach to Civic Education
by Cathy Cohen, Joseph Kahne, Jessica Marshall
We live in a time of heightened political and civic activity among young people, especially young people of color. The election of President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 inspired increased civic and political participation among young adults. More recently, youth engagement in politics remains highly significant following the election of Donald Trump, the continued killing of primarily young black people by the police, and school shootings, including the shooting in Parkland, Fla. Meanwhile, digital technology and social media provide near universal and constant access to varied forms of engagement. Movements focused on immigration laws and workers’ rights, police accountability, gun violence, and mass incarceration resonate with youth of color, including Black, Latinx, Asian American, and Native American youth. They respond by speaking their minds, creating art and protesting with their bodies to advocate for policy changes to improve their safety, their education and their futures.