Action Camp Framework

Communities of color across the United States are under siege by an unforgiving and destructive police state. While they may wear different uniforms, all law enforcement agencies pursue a “law and order” approach to communities of color leaving us over-policed and over-criminalized. Even after waves of organizing, movement building and protests, our communities still feel the brunt of a system infected with structural racism. As a result, communities and families have been devastated, denied a sense of safety and justice. School police, immigration enforcement agents, and street police are several parts of a broader system of policing designed to favor those in power. 

Historically, ActionCamp has served as a training and campaign development space for young people and organizations working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, bringing together hundreds of youth of color from across the country to sharpen their tools, share stories and strategies, and build relationships. This year, we want to expand the scope of ActionCamp and drive deeper into the interconnectedness of policing, immigration enforcement and school militarization that prohibits our communities from living free and safe. We are co-creating intergenerational and intersectional space. 

We believe the best way to stop this system is to build bridges uniting the communities most affected.  In keeping with this belief, ActionCamp operates under an anti-oppression framework. We not only openly condemn and challenge any forms of racism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and ableism (among others), but also strive to place these communities at the forefront of the movement.  We ask that all ActionCamp participants join us in pushing back against these forms of oppression, ask questions if something is new, and support and respect each other in order to make the training is a success.