Martinsburg Journal-News – On Feb. 7, hundreds of people, including 300 students, gathered for Black Policy Day at the state Capitol, in Charleston to advocate for and educate state lawmakers about communities of color. Thirty of these students represented high schools throughout Berkeley and Jefferson counties. The students were granted the opportunity to meet as a group with Patricia Rucker, State Senator, and some of the other politicians, to express some of their concerns. Sydney Bostic and Aicha, students at Spring Mills High School, both spoke on the Senate floor.
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Black Policy Day was established in 2022 by Crystal Good (Black by God), Dr, Shanequa Smith (WV Black Voter Impact Initiative) and Katonya Hart (Call to Action for Racial Equality). They each share a vision of creating space for historically oppressed and ignored groups to amplify their stories and become involved in the policymaking process.
“To have every local high school represented at Black Policy Day was nothing short of amazing,” said Teresa L. Holmes, founder of Boots on the Ground Youth Leadership Academy. “We worked under a very short timeframe to make this happen. When I was asked for my organization to take leadership over raising funds and getting the local students to Charleston, we had a little over three weeks to make it happen. However, we knew it had to be done.”
