ONLINE: Youth Speak Justice

press release: Several teenagers and young adults will join Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson and the CEO of the Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority Inc. for a 90 minute town hall meeting on Friday, March 15, at 11:00 CST to talk about social justice issues, racial disparities and the criminal justice system in the United States.

The town hall meeting will be facilitated by Zerick Samples from Brunswick, Georgia, who has been working with Ahmad Arbery’s family and Henry Sanders from Madison365 where this town hall meeting will challenge and encourage young people from across the nation to start similar conversations to lift up their voices. 

Jasmine Arbery, the sister of Ahmaud Arbery will join the town hall discussion at 11 am on Friday. The conference will be shown on Facebook live on the Coastal Georgia Community Action Authority, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and Madison 365 Facebook pages. Read bios of young people involved below and hope you tuned in for this important discussion.

James “Major” Woodall, 25, has been elected as the new state president of the Georgia NAACP. The historic vote of the state NAACP makes Woodall, who is from Bulloch County, Georgia, the youngest to serve as state president in the 110-year history of the civil rights organization.

Jasmine Arbery is the sister of Ahmaud Arbery who grew up in Brunswick, Georgia, and a current college student.

Sirena Flores graduated from East High School and is a senior in college studying political science and sociology.  Tony Robinson was a friend of hers and they grew up together going to Wil-Mar neighborhood center. After his death she became an active activist. She led movements such as protests and participated in social justice conversations and  poetry slams.

Terjuan Short was the 2018 Boys & Girls Club of Dane County Youth of the Year. He has spoken to the Wisconsin Legislature on numerous issues impacting youth and is currently an honor roll student at the University of Wisconsin.

Noah James Anderson graduated from West High School and was the President of the Black Student Union. Noah was placed in the national spotlight after organizing thousands of students to protest the termination of his father after asking a student not to call him the N Word.

Zerik Samples is the chief development officer of the Coastal Georgia Community Action Authority. He grew up in Brunswick and have worked with BGC of Dane County on past relief efforts between the two cities....