Submitted Olympia High School
On Monday, March 18, the Washington Center for the Performing Arts will host an event dedicated to promoting youth voice to end oppression in our community. It is also a night to celebrate the work of Dolores Huerta and support her foundation. This event aims to inspire positive change through students, adults, and organizations throughout Thurston County, and motivate the community to take action for a better future.
The evening program in the main stage will begin at 7:00 p.m. featuring Dolores Huerta and voices of students who are leading the STAY WOKE Conference. Students from the Olympia and North Thurston School Districts will be leading this effort.
Dolores Huerta, the keynote speaker, will talk about her life’s work fighting oppression. Her broad experience includes her work with the United Farm Workers, the women’s movement, and most recently the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Bria Smith, a student activist from the National March For Our Lives movement, will also be speaking. In addition, there will be student presentations featuring the Olympia High School Freedom Farmer program, a song dedicated to Martin Luther King from a River Ridge student, slam poetry from the local Louder than a Bomb Club, and clips from the documentary Dolores. Local nonprofits and social justice organizations will be tabling before the mainstage event from 5:30-7:00 to encourage community involvement among students and others.
The objective of this event is to inspire youth voices for ending oppression in our community. With so many people feeling helpless, we want to equip, encourage and empower our students to take action to shape their world for the better. We want our youth and community to meet, and perhaps join the groups that are actively working – here and now – for positive change. We will inspire our youth and community to financially support these causes and grow leadership for a better future.
Tickets are on a sliding scale based on what people feel they can afford. $50 is the suggested donation, $20 for most community members, and $10 for students. However, no one will be turned away for a lack of funds.
This project was made possible through a grant from Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
