Black Lives Matter: Challenging the School to Prison Pipeline

This session is the second in a two-part series inspired by the online Black Lives Matter course held by BYM in 2020, returning to basics about why a commitment to racial justice is necessary.

In this session we will focus on the ‘school to prison pipeline’ as one example of the way racism and anti-blackness manifests within the UK. We will examine statistics and hear lived-experiences of this system which adultifies, de-humanises and excludes young people racialised as Black and Brown. We will also explore movements and organisations that are challenging and re-making these systems and spend time together thinking about how we can support them.

We will share silence together and meet in breakout rooms to exchange around the ways we have been moved by what we have heard. And we will share our ideas for ways- big or small- to support these movements working towards repair, justice and equity.

Quakers have a long history of sitting with uncomfortable truths as a necessary part of discerning action. These sessions are offered in line with this Quaker tradition and in service towards our testimonies to Equality and Truth.

These introduction-level sessions are for anyone wanting to understand more about racial justice and will also be a useful refresher for anyone already engaged in work around racial justice and reparations.