community ANNOUNCEMENT

WHEN BEING A BLACK GIRL IS YOUR ONLY CRIME! We are outraged by the unconscionable act of violence committed in a Spring Valley math class this past Monday. While we applaud the decision of Sheriff Lott to fire Ben Fields, we are deeply concerned that charges are still pending against two young Black girls.  These teenagers are not only victims of police abuse, but also of the entire regime which includes the teacher who tried to expel student from class because of a minor infraction, the administrator who escalated the situation by calling the police, the law that permits students to be arrested for “uncooperative behavior,’’ and the criminal “justice” system that continues to punish two traumatized girls rather than apologizing to them and supporting them. That these two young women are forced to confront the emotional burden of being subjected to criminal adjudication on top of having been physically and emotionally abused is further evidence of how deeply entrenched and harmful this punitive approach to education is. We know that violence against Black girls and women is not new; it is the same violence that brutalized Salecia Johnson, Diamond Neals, Mikia Hutchinson, and Dajerria Becton. The vicious bodily assault on the young Black high school student is indicative of the ways that Black women and girls throughout society encounter state violence on a daily basis.  This system extends beyond Spring Valley and threatens Black girls across the United States. Join the African American Policy Forum next Tuesday November 2nd at 12pm EST for a webinar on Black girls and discipline entitled, "Spring Valley is Everywhere: When Being A Black Girl is Your Only Crime." REGISTER HERE This webinar will amplify the voices of young women who have been impacted by overly punitive discipline policies, educators who have witnessed the criminalization of Black girls in schools, scholars who have researched the gendered and racialized dimensions of the School to Prison Pipeline, and more. Speakers will include: Kimberle Crenshaw- The African American Policy Forum Je'Kendria Trahan- Black Youth Project, DC Amanda Petteruti- Co-author of “The Case Against Police in Schools,” a report from the Justice Policy Institute Kisha Wester- Educator and Youth Advocate Samantha Master- Planned Parenthood Federation of America And more…. If you or your child has experienced overpolicing in schools, please send us an email at info@aapf.org. We want to hear your story! #SpringValleyIsEverywhere #BlackGirlsMatter Facebook Twitter Website Instagram YouTube About the African American Policy Forum Founded in 1996, AAPF was developed as part of an ongoing effort to promote women’s rights in the context of struggles for racial equality. It serves as an information clearinghouse that works to bridge the gap between scholarly research and public debates on questions of inequality, discrimination and injustice. Website: www.aapf.org  Email Address: afampolicyforum@gmail.com Phone Number: (212) 854-8041 Mailing Address: African American Policy Forum, Inc. 435 West 116th Street, Rm. 827 New York, NY 10025