Martin Luther King Jr. at a 1963 rally.
Credit: Rowland Scherman/U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, hate crimes across the nation have increased 35 percent since November, with much of it landing in our schools (K-12). Current events make the upcoming 4th Annual Teen Peace and Social Justice Summit more relevant than ever before.
The summit will take place Sunday Jan. 15, 2017 from 4 p.m. to 7 pm. at Central Bucks South High School at 1100 Folly Road in Warrington.
The free event is inspired by the goals, aspirations and commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The summit is open to all students in Bucks County from grades 7 through 12 to provide a forum for how they as individuals as well as a part of society, can better understand the effects of intolerance. Students will have an opportunity to discuss discrimination and how to become part of the solution in their school and community.
The program will feature three young people who have experienced bigotry and racism in their schools, followed by participants breaking out into smaller groups for discussion.
The conference concludes with pizza and a time for the students to socialize.
Peace Center Executive Director Simmons said, “Our students need to talk about how hate and intolerance affects them. We need to nurture their ability to be part of the solution and the teen summit is a great way to empower them, guide them and support their efforts.”
Central Bucks School Board Director Jerel Wohl added, “The teen summit has proven to be a very important program for our community, bringing people together from faith-based organizations, social service agencies and schools to discuss critical issues of discrimination facing many of our youth every day.”
Kristie King, a longtime Bucks County resident, is the immediate past president of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. — Bucks County Chapter.
The organization, one of the many partners of the summit, is an African American family organization, established in 1938, and made up of mothers with children ages 2-19, dedicated to nurturing future African-American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.
She has one son who is a senior at Central Bucks East High School and one who last year.
King said the time is now to speak freely about “the ills that plague our society and the space to do so safely and without judgement is needed – especially for our youth.”
She continued, “The summit will provide a venue for open, honest and candid discussion and engagement around issues such as racism, prejudice and bigotry. The goal is to provide teens throughout Bucks County with a heightened sensitivity to these critical issues, an increased awareness of how words and actions can demean and diminish the spirit of others, and to equip them with tools to situations and become advocates and agents for change.
“Organizations across Bucks County are working collaboratively toward the common goal of empowering and uplifting our youth to become better citizens,” King said. “We will continue to move this work forward now and beyond Martin Luther King Day.”
The teen summit, which originally focused on Central Bucks middle and high school students, was expanded in its third year to include Bristol Township and had more than 400 attendees last January. The program has added a new partner this year — the Bucks County Intermediate Unit joining the Central Bucks School District, CB Cares Educational Foundation, Second Baptist Church of Doylestown, The Peace Center, Bucks County Commissioners, Jack and Jill Bucks County Chapter, Temple Judea of Bucks County, the Pearl S, Buck Foundation, the Bucks County Jewish Coalition and Bristol Township School District.
To register for the program, go to www.thepeacecenter.org . Should there be inclement weather the day of the event, please go to the event page on The Peace Center website. For more information or any questions, please contact Jerel Wohl of the Central Bucks School District at 215-918-2744 or Barbara Simmons at 215-750-7220.
