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Students in Mary Maultsby’s
U.S. history and government classes were learning about
social justice issues and compared services provided in
their community to services in communities in San Leandro
and Livermore, California.
They researched and discovered that
in neighboring cities, most of the money for
services comes
from sales tax generated through businesses
that don’t
exist in many Oakland neighborhoods, such as
shopping malls
and grocery stores.
Their investigations also revealed
that politicians respond to districts with a
high percentage
of voters and where community members are
united and committed
to change.
Excerpt from
the students’ concept paper:
Youth need to know the fundamentals of the
economy in their
society. As they grow older, they are aware of
the continuous
reduction of community activities, employment
and resources.
They recognize the significant increase in
citywide filth,
drug activity and violence. Oakland youth are concerned
about the future of their city, but many feel they have
no power to make social change. Our goal is to
raise youth
and community awareness through realistic discussions and
offer practical suggestions for citizens to
start rebuilding
the city of Oakland.
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