Lauren Benn, a member of CYPB’s Youth Advisory Board, is clear that now is the time to really listen to young people, comprehend their perspectives, and respond accordingly.
“As young, Black New Orleanians, we face problems, and we come up with creative solutions all the time. In fact, we are creative and able to imagine a better world in a way that the adults who look at us and just see stereotypes are not. Black youths showed that when they led marches this summer after George Floyd’s death. For too long, our city has allowed Black youth to be incarcerated and killed at disproportionate rates, but those young leaders showed what it looks like to believe Black youth lives matter and act on it.”
Read the full op-ed, published by the Advocate on October 21, 2020.
As a member of CYPB’s Youth Advisory Board and the Steering Committee for New Orleans’ first-ever Youth Master Plan, Lauren is a co-author of the New Narrative by, for, and about New Orleans Youth. This narrative is the North Star for the Youth Master Plan, a roadmap for all to see where our city’s children and youth are going and how they will get there. Join us at nolayouthmasterplan.org.