Bye Rizzo, Hello Justice

For years, a statue of Frank Rizzo, an oppressive police commissioner and mayor has sat in front of Philadelphia's Municipal Building, but this week his statue was taken down. Now, we have an opportunity to right some of the wrongs he did. We are raising this money to pay for the costs of creating and installing a Pennsylvania Historical Marker to commemorate the 1967  Black Student Walkouts. 

On November 17, 1967, thousands of middle and high school students organized a city-wide student walkout in Philadelphia, demanding a culturally responsive education and were met with unprecedented police brutality — a moment that would define the black student walkouts as a seminal point in American black history, the fight for educational justice and youth organizing movements. The November 1967 walkout was one of the largest high school student-led walkouts in American history, earning the backing of national organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The violence the students encountered drew national attention to their fight for integration and ethnic studies, increasing the attention of the Civil Rights Movement on education and powering student-led movements for ethnic studies on college campuses and universities. In 2005, the Philadelphia School District became the first school system in the nation to mandate African American studies, and board members specifically cited the work of black youth decades earlier. 

The students who participated in the 1967 Black Student Walkouts deserve to be remembered for standing tall in the face of oppression. They deserve to be remembered for being the ember that ignited a great change throughout the country, whether it be how African Americans are portrayed in teachings or how students value the strength of their voices. They deserve to be remembered for inspiring a new generation of free thinking and politically active African Americans. The story of the students who fought so valiantly is hammered within our hearts and minds. Just as the students never gave up on their push for policy change, we will never give up on our push for their commemorative plaque.

We've completed the application for a historical statemarker, got the application approved, and now are raising money to fund the physical production of the marker. The funds will go to Michael Gonzales' personal bank account, father of Aden (as we're all still minors and can't withdraw the funds ourselves), and Mr. Gonzales will be giving $2,200 to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to cover the cost of the statemarker. The remaining funds will be used to cover costs of a unveiling ceremony once the marker is completed. What's remaining after those funds will be donated to local organizations who are continuing the legacy of those who walked out in 1967.