Dear @Chalkbeat readers,

The students are taking over. https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/6/19/21295651/chalkbeat-student-takeover-racism-in-america

We’ve been working hard to tell the story of #education in this moment. At a recent all-team conversation, we acknowledged that our journalism’s focus on education and equity was more important than ever, but also not enough.

One co-worker made a powerful suggestion: What could we do to hear even more from students, and invite others to listen to them, too?

The #ChalkbeatStudentTakeover was born.

Today, we’re handing the mic over to young people, thanks to the hundreds of submissions we received in response to a callout asking how protests and conversations about racism are affecting them. #education #EdChat #EduColor #GeorgeFloydProtests

Our homepage is dedicated solely to students today, highlighting young voices across the nation via powerful six-word stories, art pieces, First Person essays, and much more. And a Memphis student is running our social channels.

So how did this idea come together? Collectively. When we called a meeting to brainstorm, it wasn’t just the editorial staff who answered the call — it was two-thirds of our company across multiple departments who decided together we needed to do more.

This project didn’t come together magically. We brainstormed. We collaborated. We edited. But most importantly, when young people reached out to us, we listened.

And now, it’s your turn. https://projects.chalkbeat.org/student-takeover/index.html