$25,000 / 2015
1027 S.5th Street
Milwaukee, WI53204
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director
Website: www.vdlf.org
This $25,000 renewal grant will enable Voces de la Frontera’s Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) to continue to organize as an inter-ethnic youth organizing effort to increase black-brown unity, advance racial justice, increase immigrant-rights and supports for undocumented students, to fight for implementation of the YES authored Student Bill of Rights at the school, district and community levels and to train and educate YES leaders on social justice issues across the state. Last year, YES leaders played a major role in winning a school referendum to increase funding for Racine public schools by $8.5 million yearly for building maintenance and repair costs. YES mobilized more than 150 high school students to lobby at the State Capitol in favor of a bill to re-instate tuition equity in Wisconsin. Although the bill did not pass, tuition equity is still the primary campaign of YES for the next year. YES leaders also worked with US Congresswoman Moore to head up a congressional sign on letter calling for an End to ICE raids in courthouses that was signed by 56 US congressional representatives. The YES program will also continue to leverage its good relationships with civil-rights groups, faith-based coalitions, teacher organizations and national partners such as the United We Dream network and the NAACP, to build even stronger multi-racial social justice organizing campaigns for youth. YES is actively involved in the Schools and Communities United Coalition, organizing to defend and improve Milwaukee and Racine public schools.