Category: Updates

Education debt relief is an effective way to closen the racial wealth gap, kickstart the economy, and empower young people throughout the country. In May, the administration canceled student loans for around half a million students who attended a for-profit institution, the largest student debt cancellation action so far. Nonetheless, some 45 million borrowers remain in crippling debt that has prevented young people from participating in the economy and reaching their maximum potential.

OSA is dedicated to fighting for the freedom and education for every young person. In April, we stood alongside students throughout the country to show our support for education debt cancellation in DC. OSA members traveled and met up with a variety of organizations including fellow organizations part of the Alliance for Youth Action network. The same month OSA members met in Columbus for a team retreat and skill building.

At the chapter level, different OSA chapters have been doing research on campus policing and pursuing real justice for our communities. For instance, during the spring semester our Cleveland State team held a student campus policing survey which was filled out by hundreds of respondents and took the time to better understand the experiences of students with police and considering their input on topics such as budgeting and accountability. By the conclusion of finals, end of semester OSA celebrations across Ohio had plenty to reflect on including the considerable growth of chapters and the valuable work they have been doing.

Over the spring semester and continuing in summer, we have worked with the Honesty for Ohio Education organization to hold testimony workshops to help students advocate for a fair and honest presentation of history and concepts in school. This has meant showing up against Ohio’s version of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ with HB616. Young Ohioans deserve an honest and accurate education that includes and honors all of our experiences, no matter our race or background. They deserve more than being stuck in a learning environment where their identity and experience are denied and erased.

Looking forward, we are excited to continue to connect young people to empower and amplify their voices. This includes ongoing efforts to research and create a Black Student Equity Report which will include conducting focus groups and qualitative interviews.  Moreover, we are continuing to support members through an ongoing summer fellowship that includes college students and graduates throughout the state. This is a valuable opportunity for our talented new leaders to build new skills, plan & organize direct actions, and hold insightful conversations around power-building and engaging in our democracy. More importantly, these leaders will also be trained on the essential concepts of redistricting and how to advocate for fair maps. We are excited about the potential of our new leaders and look forward to developing their power-building and strategic skills in the months to come. 

Recent media coverage:

• Afropunk: HB 616, Ohio’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, And How Black Young People Are Fighting Back
• USA Today: Biden hasn’t forgiven student loan debt. Advocates warn it could hurt Dems in elections.
• Akron Beacon Journal: Kent, UA student protestors: ‘Divisive concepts’ bill designed to comfort white people
• Ideastream: University of Akron and Kent State students rally against ‘divisive concepts’ bill

Heading into 2021, young people have continued to see and face plenty of issues that plague our campuses and communities. We have continued strong in our mission of #BuildingPower and #Organizing, fulfilling a vision of young people centered as independent leaders of meaningful and transformative change.

For OSA, the spring semester has been about continuing our fight against the criminal injustice system and working to make college more equitable and accessible. In March, we held a Higher Ed Livestream series in coalition with our partner organizations, Policy Matters Ohio, College Now Greater Cleveland, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, and the Ohio Poverty Law Center. The series included personally impacted storytellers and policy experts who discussed why we should end the transcript trap (watch here), the importance of expanding OCOG or the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (watch here), and how debt navigators can help students (watch here).

Earlier this month, Cleveland State and Case Western Reserve University OSA chapter members helped launch the Citizens for a Safer Cleveland ballot initiative campaign, which seeks to implement a charter amendment that would mean fair, independent investigations with real accountability for officers who commit misconduct. Students will be collecting signatures for the ballot initiative throughout the spring, and will be helping to get out the vote come the fall (follow the campaign on Facebook here).

Moving forward in 2021, our members, chapters, and teams are continuing their work in reimaging campus policing and reinvesting in student services, sharing our stories and voices around the student debt crisis to pressure our policymakers, and fighting for state-level policies that make college accessible to everyone, regardless of our race or income.

CHECK OUT OUR NEW STAFF!

We are proud to announce that Akii and Sammi have joined the OSA team as student organizers for Columbus and Cincinnati respectively. They will be helping #BuildPower in campuses and communities across Ohio, empowering young people to organize around the issues that matter most to us.

TAKE ACTION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION!

In order to make Ohio a state where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential, higher education must be accessible and affordable. OSA is actively working to fight punitive policies such as the transcript trap and fighting for student debt cancellation, which will help decrease the racial wealth gap in the country.

Despite the organizing challenges posed by social distancing and remote learning, OSA chapters have recently hit the ground running! The Case Western and Cleveland State chapters held new member orientations and OSA Denison held their very first organizing training.

In preparation for the 2020 elections, OSA members across the state have been hitting the streets (from a safe distance), making phone calls, and sending text messages to make sure that our communities are registered to vote and know what’s on the ballot! Indeed, we have made over 35,000 calls to verify voter registration. OSA members in Franklin County, Hamilton County, Cuyahoga County, and Dayton have even created their own voter education materials. Check out some of our voter education tools and resources here!

Alongside GOTV efforts, our members have continued to organize direct actions and advocate for the issues that impact us. In the Columbus Dispatch, Jarrod Robinson wrote a powerful Op-Ed regarding the crushing debt that impacts students. Wright State and Central State OSA members also held a recent forum featuring candidates Leronda Jackson and Mark Fogel (running for Ohio House District 40 and Ohio Senate District 6 respectively) that focused largely on higher education issues.

Shoutout to our eight artist fellows on completing OSA’s very first artist fellowship! Be it through music, painting, drawing, or other mediums, these artist-activists used their talents and passion to create culture, tell stories, and build community. In a recent live-streamed forum, the fellows discussed the creative projects they pursued through the fellowship and how the politics and social movement of today have impacted and inspired their work.