The Youth Studies program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) hosted the sixth year of its pioneering Community & Youth Organizing series with three impactful events illuminating youth-led activism.
Held over several weeks in January, the 2025 Community & Youth Organizing series featured two film screenings and a panel discussion that explored the current state of youth policy and social change and helped to build and stoke community. The three events, each moderated by series organizer and Youth Studies Professor Lumumba Bandele, brought together practitioners and activists in an effort to showcase the transformative power of youth-driven movements, inspiring hope and unity for a more equitable future.
“We are thrilled by the powerful conversations sparked by this year’s community and youth organizing series,” said Dr. Sarah Zeller-Berkman, academic director of the CUNY SPS Youth Studies program. “The film screenings and talks brought together passionate youth advocates who are leading the charge for racial and economic justice, offering both inspiration and concrete strategies. It’s incredibly energizing to see our community engaging with these critical issues in ways that are both visionary and deeply grounded in community action.”
The series kicked off with a screening of the 2017 documentary Whose Streets?, directed by Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis, which featured activists and leaders from the movement for justice inspired by the Ferguson uprising.
Following the screening, participants joined in a lively conversation about the ways that community building and collective action might spur social change. They also discussed the lessons learned from the Ferguson uprising to take forward in future action, which included suggestions on how to build a coalition, the need for a secure communication, and how to develop a blueprint for a larger movement.
In a larger question posed to the audience, Professor Bandele asked the participants to think deeply about what role youth may play in today’s increasingly urgent battle for social, racial, and economic justice throughout the United States.
“Young people will always show up too, right? Again, some of the lessons we need to figure out is, what is our role?,” Professor Bandele said. “Particularly those who are educators, particularly those of you who work as youth counselors or whatever, there were countless walkouts, and student organized actions. What is going to be your relationship to those moments? How will you respond both as an individual who understands the nature of what is happening but also as a staff member of whatever agency you work? How will you navigate those particular dynamics?”
The second event in the series, a screening of the 2024 documentary Following Harry, offered a history lesson and blueprint for today’s activists. Directed by Suzanne Rostock, the moving film looked back on the final years of iconic singer and actor Harry Belafonte and highlighted his enduring commitment to social justice. Acclaimed rap artist and activist Rod Starz of the political hip-hop duo Rebel Diaz also attended this screening.
In the post-film conversation, Starz shared his own personal insights about Belafonte and the intersection of activism and art, reflecting back also upon the many ways he had been inspired by the legendary performer.
“…Now what I learned from my memory of him was just him being very observant and being a good listener,” Starz said. “I think with Mr. B, even when we were having a back-and-forth, he was very much like observing me. And I feel like I have learned to observe more, be a better listener….in my life, I still try to practice that.”
The final event of the series, Youth Organizing for Economic Justice, now available to watch on the CUNY SPS YouTube channel, featured a lively panel discussion led by CUNY SPS Professor Bandele and three young leaders from youth-focused organizations who delivered an inspiring call to action.
Activists on this panel included Emmanuel Annan Jr, co-chair of the Economic Mobility/Housing subcommittee of NYC Youth Agenda; Rachel Parsley from the NYC Union of Students, a group of NYC college students organizing for transparency, democracy, access, labor, solidarity, and repair; LaTrova Lovell, a graduate of the CUNY SPS Youth Studies program; and Denice Ocana, a member of the youth advocacy collective YouthNPower.
During the session, the activists highlighted their work on a range of issues related to living in New York City, including their efforts to battle the increasingly high costs of housing, education, and transportation. In response to audience questions, they also discussed the ways that their advocacy groups are fighting for social justice and equity through organizing, participatory action, and youth empowerment.
About the CUNY SPS Youth Studies Program
The CUNY SPS MA in Youth Studies, the first program of its kind in New York, was established in 2017, and the BA in Youth Studies was launched in Fall 2022. These programs, along with the Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies, aim to support the needs of individuals ages 12 to 24 by training qualified frontline youth workers, directors, and administrators. In addition to offering a high-quality degree, the youth studies program has a research agenda that uses youth-adult partnerships and a critical participatory action research approach to inform youth policy and practice in NYC. Current projects include collaborations with ACS and DOE and Amplify, a set of new and innovative research tools designed to engage young people in city-wide policy-making and drive local action.
About the CUNY School of Professional Studies
As New York's leading online school since 2006, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) offers the most online bachelor's and master's degree options at the City University of New York, and serves as the University's first undergraduate all-transfer college. With 26 degrees and numerous other non-degree and grant-funded workplace learning programs, CUNY SPS meets the needs of adults who wish to finish a bachelor's degree, progress from an associate's degree, earn a master's degree or certificate in a specialized field, and advance in the workplace or change careers. Consistently ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report for its online offerings, CUNY SPS has emerged as a nationwide leader in online education. The School's renowned and affordable online programs ensure that busy working adults may fulfill their educational goals on their own time and schedule.
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