Milwaukee Students Walkout, Rally for Better Schools and Funding

Bennie Patterson, Youth Development Coordinator for Urban Underground, told students it's time to stand up and fight for their future.

To symbolize the heroic walkouts that helped lead to the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, nearly 700 students from dozens of high schools throughout Milwaukee walked out of school on May 17, 2004 and rallied for better schools.

The event, organized by Milwaukee youth organizations Urban Underground and Voices Unheard, gave students the opportunity to commemorate the decision, while calling attention to the state of Milwaukee public schools and the need for adequate school funding.

"The overwhelming response from students in the middle of preparing for finals and taking advanced placement exams highlights the dissatisfaction students feel with the inadequate conditions in Milwaukee public schools," said Bennie Patterson, Youth Development Coordinator for Urban Underground.

Breakdancers from Milwaukee's Latino Community Center performed for the crowd.

The day-long program included speakers from the Milwaukee community, a wide range of workshops including one by WAES staff on school funding, and performances by local hip-hop artists and dancers. Several Milwaukee leaders, including former Common Council President and Milwaukee Mayor Marvin Pratt and 2nd District Alderman Joe Davis, addressed the need to involve youth in education reform.

The rally united students and provided them with educational experiences that cannot be found in the classroom. Students demanded an end to budget cuts and unveiled plans for a new student-led educational justice organization.

"How are we supposed to succeed if they keep cutting our budget," exclaimed one frustrated student.

To engage students in understanding the various problems of the current funding structure, how those problems affect educational quality, and the need for students to advocate on their own behalf, WAES has partnered with Urban Underground to create a joint internship program around educational justice and school funding reform. The internship program will work to involve youth in the public policy and decision-making processes that affect their access to a quality education. Over 170 students signed up to receive more information about the internship program, which will begin in September.

Hundreds of high school students gathered to commemorate the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, and to demand access to a quality education.

"Across the state, discussions on education reform are taking place without input from students," declared WAES staff member Jennifer Epps. "Students are tired of decisions being made about their future without their input. To truly improve the quality of education, we must solicit knowledge of best practices from youth and place their responses at the forefront of our discussion and decisions."

Fifty years after the Supreme Court affirmed that access to a quality public education was a basic human right, the promise of Brown is still left unfulfilled. On May 17, 2004 hundreds of students took the first step towards empowering young people to fight for change. Instead of being used as scapegoats for the problems in public schools, young people around the state need the tools to succeed. And those tools require adequate school funding.

For more information on the WAES/Urban Underground internship program in the Milwaukee, Racine/Kenosha, Beloit, Madison, or White Lake areas, or to find out how to start an internship program in your area, contact Jennifer Epps at 414-384-9094.

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