The Power of Teaching Youth How to Conduct Research
David Turner used to work as the Programs Manager for Educational Equity at the Social justice Learning Institute (SJLI) where he trained youth of color to conduct research within their communities and use it to advance systematic and policy changes. He now works with InnerCity Struggle as the Brothers, Sons, Selves (BSS) Coalition Manager, where he leads 10 organizations aimed at decriminalizing communities of color.
Growing up, David Turner experienced many inequities first hand, many of which he talks about in the podcast. It wasn’t until he got to high school when he started learning more about the social inequalities he witnessed throughout his childhood. David Turner went into college as an English education major, however after taking an Africana studies class, he soon realized that English was not the path for him. In the Africana Studies class, he quickly realized that he wanted to get involved in social change work on campus. It was at this point that he became involved in the on campus movements such as Occupy Wall Street.
After graduating from college, David went on to UPenn for his masters in higher education, and then he went to UC Berkeley where he got involved in the Black Liberation Collective. Through the Black Liberation Theology organization, he helped college students organize, strategize, and mobilize to change discriminatory and unjust conditions on their college campuses. During the interview David shares with us some of the strategies they taught and gives examples of the kinds of wins students were able to achieve on their campuses.
In his role at SJLI, David oversaw the youth program, which is aimed at increasing the critical consciousness of at-risk youth. In the podcast, David Turner talks more about his work for SJLI, such as helping students conduct youth based participatory research, conducting workshops, and youth-based campaign organizing.
David Turner believes that research is essential for social justice organizations given that it is important to know how and what to demand from those in positions of power, and it is also extremely important in order to create a sense of urgency around these issues. David Turner has been extremely involved in social justice movements throughout his life. As a result, David Turner has a lot of amazing knowledge about organizing. If you would like to hear more about David Turner and his work, check out his podcast episode!
“We need to kill the idea that the revolution will have a brand name. No one group will be responsible for the upheaval of social injustices” — David Turner
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