Youth FX hosts Teach-In in Washington Park for BLM
This Friday in Washington Park there was a Teach-In and March to educate the youth of Albany and elevate the Black Lives Matter movement within the community. The Teach-In was hosted by Youth FX, a nonprofit organization meant to empower young leaders in Albany by engaging the community in digital media production. The primary goal of the Teach-In was to have an open discussion that was informational and collaborative.
Last Friday, Youth FX also hosted a Youth Speak Out For Black Lives for the community to voice their thoughts and feelings on recent events both nationally and locally. As an organization dedicated to opening up artistic opportunities to marginalized communities, Youth FX has made it their mission to give young people a platform for their voices to be heard. The Teach-In was divided into four workshops: Demands, Rights, History of Oppression, and Historical Activists that have created powerful changes within the black community.
Although the turnout was not as massive as the Troy Rally, there were a lot of the same faces and this environment allowed for an interactive discussion on what there is to work towards and how to create change in an impactful way. Protestors’ rights and basic safety measures for protesting were discussed including how to stay safe during the COVID pandemic. The discussion went on to highlight how it is our duty to learn the history behind this movement and use it to change the future. There have been recent victories in Albany such as the 50A repeal which allows police records to be accessed publicly. Although this signifies that change is occurring, Youth FX co-founder and organizer of the Teach-In Bhawin Suchak made it known that he is not yet satisfied and there is a lot more work to be done. Both the speakers and the crowd listed their demands for change and a proactive conversation broke out about how to achieve these goals.
After the Teach-In, a march took place around Washington Park and ended with closing remarks and information about future events taking place in the Albany area.
A Black Lives Matter peace rally will be taking place in Cohoes on Saturday at 1 p.m in Berkley Park. The Teach-In created a space for young people of the Capital to learn, be heard, and unite for the purpose of change.
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