Schools & Youth

Martellus Bennett. Black man in white hoodie and red pants speaks while seated on white couch in front of blue background and brown slats
Sameer Rao  Feb 1, 2019 5:18PM EST

Martellus Bennett: 'Let Black Boys Dream Big'

Ahead of the Super Bowl, the artist and former NFL player reflects on the messages society gives Black boys about their worth.
A 7-year-old girl with long, brown hair leans on her father as he sits in a blue chair at the Catholic Charities-run Humanitarian Respite Center after being released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), on November 1, 2018.
Shani Saxon  Jan 29, 2019 4:19PM EST

Hundreds of Guatemalan Migrants Arrested at Arizona Border

Of the 242 people taken into custody, 130 of them were children.
Cover art for "Heavy: An American Memoir" and Kiese Laymon. Black text spells "HEAVY" and white text spells "AN AMERICAN MEMOIR" and "KIESE LAYMON" on red background; Black man in black hooded sweatshirt poses in front of green trees and grey sky
Sameer Rao  Jan 28, 2019 3:14PM EST

Kiese Laymon Wins Andrew Carnegie Medal, Gives Prize Money to Young Mississippians

The “Heavy: An American Memoir” author and educator will donate his prize money from the American Library Association award to organizations that work with young people in his home state.
A Honduran father holds his son as they wait in line to cross the Guatemala-Mexico border and register at an immigration facility in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, on January 19, 2019.
Shani Saxon  Jan 25, 2019 12:07PM EST

Lawsuits Say Migrant Children Being Used to 'Catch' Other Immigrants

At least four federal lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration alleging a corrupt alliance between the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Brown belly of pregnant person being examined by doctor in blue with stethescope
Ayana Byrd  Jan 24, 2019 12:42PM EST

READ: How Texas Contributed to Rise in Pregnant Girls in Foster Care System

One teen mother: “All my friends that I was in placements with—every single one—either has a kid or is pregnant right now.”
The City of Flint Water Plant is illuminated by moonlight on Jan. 23, 2016, in Flint, Michigan. The state approved new funds for the city yesterday.
Ayana Byrd  Jan 23, 2019 1:20PM EST

Flint Launches Program to Help Kids Who Need Special Education Services Because of Water Crisis

Experts say it’s a step in the right direction, but not enough.
Nathan Phillips. Native American man with dark shoulder-length hair, wearing black shirt, with blue sky and Capitol Building in the background
Kenrya Rankin  Jan 23, 2019 9:35AM EST

Skip TODAY Show, Watch This Interview With Nathan Phillips Instead

While mainstream media rushes to center the MAGA teens who taunted the Omaha elder, watch the Indigenous leader describe what really happened after the Indigenous Peoples March.
a light skin boy wearing a clear poncho in the rain in front of a high school holds up a sign at a rally that says "we stand with L A teachers"
catherine lizette gonzalez  Jan 18, 2019 5:21PM EST

LA Teachers Strike Enters Fifth Day with Thousands of Supporters

Tens of thousands of teachers, parents, students and supporters in the Los Angeles Unified School District are demanding better pay, smaller class sizes and more resources and support staff for students—nearly 75 percent of whom are Latinx.
Honduran migrant Jenny Cantarero holds her son Saul, 3, where they are living outside a closed temporary migrant shelter near the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Tijuana, Mexico on December 6, 2018 .
Shani Saxon  Jan 18, 2019 2:39PM EST

Gov't Says Thousands More Migrant Children Were Separated From Families Than Reported

The Trump administration began its family separation policy earlier than what was originally reported.
Old cell block inside an Idaho State Penitentiary.
Shani Saxon  Jan 17, 2019 5:05PM EST

STUDY: Why the Ban on Pell Grants for Incarcerated People Should Be Lifted

Postsecondary education greatly increases employment opportunities and wages for the formerly incarcerated.
A Maya teen holds a portrait of herself wearing a traditional corte dress
catherine lizette gonzalez  Jan 15, 2019 4:21PM EST

WATCH: Teen Photographers Capture Generations of Maya Women and Girls

A new short documentary profiles six Guatemelan teen photographers who are tackling representation, racism and classism through their project Maya Womxn of LA.
San Francisco Board Of Supervisors Proposes Putting Soda Tax On Nov. Ballot
Ayana Byrd  Jan 15, 2019 1:51PM EST

REPORT: Companies Target Black and Latinx Youth With Junk Food Ads

The candy, soda and fast food industries disproportionately push their products on kids of color.
Angela Davis. Black woman with brown afro sits in blue patterned shirt behind white table with white nametag spelling "Angela Davis" in black letters and in front of blue screen with grey letters spelling "tiff"
Sameer Rao  Jan 10, 2019 4:26PM EST

Jewish Voice for Peace, 350+ Scholars Sign Letter Supporting Angela Davis

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute recinded the activist and educator’s Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, saying, “she unfortunately does not meet all of the criteria on which the award is based.”
Michael Jackson. Man with black hair and white bleached skin sits in black leather jacket and white shirt in front of brown wood courtroom wall
Sameer Rao  Jan 10, 2019 2:48PM EST

Sundance to Screen Doc On Michael Jackson's Alleged Child Sexual Abuse

“Leaving Neverland,” which revisits two men’s accusations that the artist abused them as boys, has prompted backlash from Jackson’s estate.
Honduran children stand with their mother outside a temporary shelter set up near the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico, on November 20, 2018.
Shani Saxon  Jan 3, 2019 5:13PM EST

Young Immigrants Escaping Abuse Face Green Card Denials From U.S. Government

Applicants must file paperwork before they turn 21, but the Trump administration is rejecting applications for some who have celebrated their 18th birthdays.
Two rows of four books, "A Very Large Expanse of Sea, "Hurricane Child," "Girls Resist," "Go Show the World," "My So-Called Bollywood Life," "Drawn Together," The Poet X," "Memphis, Martin and the Mountaintop."
catherine lizette gonzalez  Dec 21, 2018 5:24PM EST

Gift These Uplifting Books to the Kids and Young Adults In Your Life

As we shift into a new year, let these 2018 titles affirm, inspire and galvanize the young people in your life. 
Wide angle shot of colorful produce stocked in a grocery store.
Ayana Byrd  Dec 20, 2018 1:16PM EST

Trump Administration Ignores How Laws Are Made to Deny People Food Stamps

The USDA proposed rule changes could affect more than half a million people.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stand guard at the Tecate, Mexico, port of entry into the United States on December 4, 2018.
Shani Saxon  Dec 17, 2018 5:14PM EST

Border Protection Didn't Tell Congress About Death of 7-Year-Old Migrant to Avoid 'Politicizing' Her Passing

Representative Joaquin Castro: “This is going to be a very serious problem for him and an issue that the next Congress will look into.”
Protestors surround woman holding sign that reads families belong together in protest of the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy immigration and refugee policies in Los Angeles, California on June 30, 2018.
Shani Saxon  Nov 28, 2018 5:37PM EST

Migrant Families Still Being Separated at the Border

Border agents say they have “no obligation” to report new cases of family separation because they didn’t take place under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy.
Large school bus in front of a high school.
Shani Saxon  Nov 21, 2018 4:05PM EST

New Report Shows Fear of Deportation is Keeping Children Out of School

The UNESCO study urges schools to create safe spaces for all students.