https://simplecast.com Beyond the Bell: Organizing for Education Justice Our podcast is committed to bringing you the voices, dreams, and brilliance of community organizers activating the public will for education justice. We know communities deserve to feel safe, dignified, and loved, irrespective of their race, economic status, zip code, gender, and ability. However, this is not the case for the majority of youth of color, queer, disabled, or undocumented communities. Today's public schools in our communities are not yet safe places to learn, grow and thrive. Organizers around the country are working to change this. But how do we get there? This podcast will speak to the leaders, funders, and youth organizers on the front lines of change. en Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:43:10 +0000 Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:43:21 +0000 https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com Beyond the Bell: Organizing for Education Justice https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/8af90296-a328-4938-890c-02c6845b56d0/44bb8597-674c-494d-955b-6b868620d090/3000x3000/btb-thumb-main-20-2.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com episodic Our podcast is committed to bringing you the voices, dreams, and brilliance of community organizers activating the public will for education justice. We know communities deserve to feel safe, dignified, and loved, irrespective of their race, economic status, zip code, gender, and ability. However, this is not the case for the majority of youth of color, queer, disabled, or undocumented communities. Today's public schools in our communities are not yet safe places to learn, grow and thrive. Organizers around the country are working to change this. But how do we get there? This podcast will speak to the leaders, funders, and youth organizers on the front lines of change. Communities for Just Schools Fund false https://feeds.simplecast.com/Z5ijUgX8 Communities for Just Schools Fund info@cjsfund.org 2e063ff0-5dab-4c64-9a27-559dc5d328b6 Building Immigrant Youth Power to Stop School Closures & Get ICE out of Schools In this episode, Elsa Bañuelos-Lindsay, the Executive Director of Movimiento Poder and Leidy Robledo, the National Co-Director of Alliance for Educational Justice discuss the legacy of the Chicano and ethnic studies movement and its connections to the experiences of immigrant students in Denver, Phoenix and around the country. From English-only language mandates, to the criminalization of immigrant students, to school closures and ICE and police collaborations,Leidy and Elsa help us see the legacy of power building by immigrant youth who have fought back school closures, Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration/ICE raids, and to remove ICE and police from schools.  

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:43:10 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Manuela Arciniegas, Leidy Robledo, Elsa Bañuelos-Lindsay) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/building-immigrant-youth-power-to-stop-school-closures-get-ice-out-of-schools-WvhZq8pH In this episode, Elsa Bañuelos-Lindsay, the Executive Director of Movimiento Poder and Leidy Robledo, the National Co-Director of Alliance for Educational Justice discuss the legacy of the Chicano and ethnic studies movement and its connections to the experiences of immigrant students in Denver, Phoenix and around the country. From English-only language mandates, to the criminalization of immigrant students, to school closures and ICE and police collaborations,Leidy and Elsa help us see the legacy of power building by immigrant youth who have fought back school closures, Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration/ICE raids, and to remove ICE and police from schools.  

]]> Building Immigrant Youth Power to Stop School Closures & Get ICE out of Schools Manuela Arciniegas, Leidy Robledo, Elsa Bañuelos-Lindsay 00:53:34 Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Elsa Bañuelos-Lindsay, the Executive Director of Movimiento Poder and Leidy Robledo, the National Co-Director of Alliance for Educational Justice. Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Elsa Bañuelos-Lindsay, the Executive Director of Movimiento Poder and Leidy Robledo, the National Co-Director of Alliance for Educational Justice. educationjustice false full 9 1 eb035a35-20ed-4690-9daa-84ad9383ba2b AI, Tech & Data in Education Part 2: The Minneapolis Uprising In Part Two of this special two-part episode of Beyond the Bell, host Manuela Arciniegas reconnects with Marika Pfefferkorn for a powerful, real-time update from the Twin Cities amid what organizers are calling the Minnesota Rebellion.

Recorded on February 2, 2026, months after their first conversation, Marika shares firsthand stories from the ground as communities confront escalating ICE activity, surveillance, and family separations. She describes how neighbors are organizing block by block, young people are leading walkouts and mutual aid efforts, and rapid response networks are emerging to protect one another through distributed leadership, digital vigilance, and deep community care.

Marika also lifts up the leadership of the Twin Cities Innovation Alliance, the rise of “Aunties in Vests,” and plans for a National Summit on Digital Liberation and Movement—creating space for young people across the country to strategize, heal, and build power together.

Dig Deeper: Local police aid ICE by tapping school cameras amid Trump’s immigration crackdown

We keep us safe!

]]> Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:10:13 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Manuela Arciniegas, Marika Pfefferkorn) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/ai-tech-data-in-education-part-2-the-minneapolis-uprising-VaIN0lyY In Part Two of this special two-part episode of Beyond the Bell, host Manuela Arciniegas reconnects with Marika Pfefferkorn for a powerful, real-time update from the Twin Cities amid what organizers are calling the Minnesota Rebellion.

Recorded on February 2, 2026, months after their first conversation, Marika shares firsthand stories from the ground as communities confront escalating ICE activity, surveillance, and family separations. She describes how neighbors are organizing block by block, young people are leading walkouts and mutual aid efforts, and rapid response networks are emerging to protect one another through distributed leadership, digital vigilance, and deep community care.

Marika also lifts up the leadership of the Twin Cities Innovation Alliance, the rise of “Aunties in Vests,” and plans for a National Summit on Digital Liberation and Movement—creating space for young people across the country to strategize, heal, and build power together.

Dig Deeper: Local police aid ICE by tapping school cameras amid Trump’s immigration crackdown

We keep us safe!

]]> AI, Tech & Data in Education Part 2: The Minneapolis Uprising Manuela Arciniegas, Marika Pfefferkorn 00:38:36 In Part Two of this special two-part episode of Beyond the Bell, host Manuela Arciniegas reconnects with Marika Pfefferkorn for a powerful, real-time update from the Twin Cities amid what organizers are calling the Minnesota Rebellion. In Part Two of this special two-part episode of Beyond the Bell, host Manuela Arciniegas reconnects with Marika Pfefferkorn for a powerful, real-time update from the Twin Cities amid what organizers are calling the Minnesota Rebellion. minneapolis uprising, minnesota rebellion, education justice false full 8 1 ea558c52-5579-4c37-a220-cbaf3b7f3e1d AI, Tech & Data in Education Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Marika Pfefferkorn, the Co-Founder, Solutions and Sustainability Officer, & Executive Director of the Midwest Center for School Transformation,  and Aasim Shabazz, Co-founder and President of Twin Cities Innovation Alliance (TCIA). In this episode, Marika Pfefferkorn and Aasim Shabazz discuss how large language models and algorithms, known as AI, connect with the use of data as tools for surveillance and criminalization of students in schools and communities. They invite us into exploring the shifts systems and communities must make at the cultural, political, and practice level to live into Afro-Indigenous futures where youth and communities have the power to design and use technology for the public good.

Dig Deeper: A Roadmap for Responsible AI in Education

]]> Mon, 9 Feb 2026 19:10:11 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Manuela Arciniegas, Marika Pfefferkorn, Aasim Shabazz) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/ai-tech-data-in-education-wpye8ixl-6aH4QDrJ Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Marika Pfefferkorn, the Co-Founder, Solutions and Sustainability Officer, & Executive Director of the Midwest Center for School Transformation,  and Aasim Shabazz, Co-founder and President of Twin Cities Innovation Alliance (TCIA). In this episode, Marika Pfefferkorn and Aasim Shabazz discuss how large language models and algorithms, known as AI, connect with the use of data as tools for surveillance and criminalization of students in schools and communities. They invite us into exploring the shifts systems and communities must make at the cultural, political, and practice level to live into Afro-Indigenous futures where youth and communities have the power to design and use technology for the public good.

Dig Deeper: A Roadmap for Responsible AI in Education

]]> AI, Tech & Data in Education Manuela Arciniegas, Marika Pfefferkorn, Aasim Shabazz 00:50:21 Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Marika Pfefferkorn and Aasim Shabazz from Twin Cities Innovation Alliance (TCIA). This is the first in a special two-part episode of Beyond the Bell. Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Marika Pfefferkorn and Aasim Shabazz from Twin Cities Innovation Alliance (TCIA). This is the first in a special two-part episode of Beyond the Bell. beyondthebell, educationjustice false full 7 1 9a1723c1-8c44-4d4e-9b87-f878e8b7eaaf Puerto Rico: Building Teacher and Community Power How do teachers, caregivers, and youth build power in the most inequitable and colonized spaces of our nation? In this episode, Mercedes Martinez, president of La Federacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico (FMPR) shares the inspiring legacy of solidarity and powerbuilding between Puerto Rico and the US communities amidst climate, governmental, and economic crisis. Mercedes shows how the massive defunding of public schools is part of a larger strategy to privatize and capture public budgets and segments of the commons. By connecting the dots between the labor movement, education justice, and privatization, Mercedes uplifts the enduring people-led efforts built to counter catastrophic attacks on the public safety net. As one of the testing grounds for what communities are facing post this federal administration, we learn how to disrupt colonial extraction to protect teachers, young people, and communities and their schools. 

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Mercedes Martinez, Manuela Arciniegas) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/puerto-rico-building-teacher-and-community-power-mn2xyWK_ How do teachers, caregivers, and youth build power in the most inequitable and colonized spaces of our nation? In this episode, Mercedes Martinez, president of La Federacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico (FMPR) shares the inspiring legacy of solidarity and powerbuilding between Puerto Rico and the US communities amidst climate, governmental, and economic crisis. Mercedes shows how the massive defunding of public schools is part of a larger strategy to privatize and capture public budgets and segments of the commons. By connecting the dots between the labor movement, education justice, and privatization, Mercedes uplifts the enduring people-led efforts built to counter catastrophic attacks on the public safety net. As one of the testing grounds for what communities are facing post this federal administration, we learn how to disrupt colonial extraction to protect teachers, young people, and communities and their schools. 

]]> Puerto Rico: Building Teacher and Community Power Mercedes Martinez, Manuela Arciniegas 00:50:32 Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Mercedes Martinez, president of La Federacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico. Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Mercedes Martinez, president of La Federacíon de Maestros de Puerto Rico. beyondthebell, community building, educationjustice false full 6 1 c551be8e-f734-404a-b311-913b83f7bca5 Wisconsin + National: Trans, Queer, 2-Spirit Youth Power & Gender Justice In this episode, Juniper Gia Loving from GSA Network and Tyrone Creech, Jr. from G-SAFE talk about how to support trans, queer, 2-spirit (TQ2S) youth in Wisconsin, Texas and across the country. Through leadership development, community organizing, and impact litigation, they break down how attacks on young peoples’ gender and sexuality and attacks on their access to civil and human rights as queer students are foundational to the erosion of democracy, equity,  and access to public education for all.

]]> Thu, 8 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Juniper Gia Loving, Tyrone Creech, Ginna Brelsford) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/wisconsin-national-trans-queer-2-spirit-youth-power-gender-justice-tz5KkNfu In this episode, Juniper Gia Loving from GSA Network and Tyrone Creech, Jr. from G-SAFE talk about how to support trans, queer, 2-spirit (TQ2S) youth in Wisconsin, Texas and across the country. Through leadership development, community organizing, and impact litigation, they break down how attacks on young peoples’ gender and sexuality and attacks on their access to civil and human rights as queer students are foundational to the erosion of democracy, equity,  and access to public education for all.

]]> Wisconsin + National: Trans, Queer, 2-Spirit Youth Power & Gender Justice Juniper Gia Loving, Tyrone Creech, Ginna Brelsford 00:43:31 Host Ginna Brelsford (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Juniper Gia Loving from GSA Network and Tyrone Creech, Jr. from G-SAFE talk about how to support trans, queer, 2-spirit (TQ2S) youth in Wisconsin, Texas and across the country. Host Ginna Brelsford (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Juniper Gia Loving from GSA Network and Tyrone Creech, Jr. from G-SAFE talk about how to support trans, queer, 2-spirit (TQ2S) youth in Wisconsin, Texas and across the country. gsafe, educationjustice, gsa false full 5 1 f9028981-d04b-407b-b2f3-9db5c01d9e28 NY + Philly: Black Intergenerational Leadership + Undoing Generational Discrimination in Education On this episode of Beyond the Bell, Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Director of Alliance for Quality Education and Hiram Marcano from Community Resource Hub talk about the power of youth and caregivers and parents in New York and Philadelphia, the legacy of the black power, civil rights and abolitionist movement, and how they have shaped a national education justice movement. From intergenerational organizing, to activating youth and parent power, Zakiyah and Hiram reflect on the unique contributions of Black and Brown intergenerational organizing that helped set the largest victories of getting police out of schools since the movement began.

]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Hiram Marcano, Manuela Arciniegas) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/ny-philly-black-intergenerational-leadership-undoing-generational-discrimination-in-education-f27N2zXi On this episode of Beyond the Bell, Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Director of Alliance for Quality Education and Hiram Marcano from Community Resource Hub talk about the power of youth and caregivers and parents in New York and Philadelphia, the legacy of the black power, civil rights and abolitionist movement, and how they have shaped a national education justice movement. From intergenerational organizing, to activating youth and parent power, Zakiyah and Hiram reflect on the unique contributions of Black and Brown intergenerational organizing that helped set the largest victories of getting police out of schools since the movement began.

]]> NY + Philly: Black Intergenerational Leadership + Undoing Generational Discrimination in Education Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Hiram Marcano, Manuela Arciniegas 00:50:45 Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Director of Alliance for Quality Education and Hiram Marcano from Community Resource Hub. Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Director of Alliance for Quality Education and Hiram Marcano from Community Resource Hub. community building, education justice false full 4 1 34c6d771-1b03-4e83-9ad5-4ce852a3974d National: Labor + Community Unites to Protect Public Education! On this episode of Beyond the Bell, Moira Kaleida from The Alliance to Reclaim our Schools and Kyle Serette from the National Education Association- the largest union in the country- have come together to defend public education from school closures and defunding- building a national movement of educators, youth and caregiver organizers and allies. What does it look like when the labor sector unites with the education justice sector to stop school closures and privatization and address the widespread defunding of the public safety net across IDEA disability funding, SNAP benefits, and more?

]]> Wed, 3 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Moira Kaleda, Kyle Serette, Manuela Arciniegas) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/national-labor-community-unites-to-protect-public-education-t5PseKY_ On this episode of Beyond the Bell, Moira Kaleida from The Alliance to Reclaim our Schools and Kyle Serette from the National Education Association- the largest union in the country- have come together to defend public education from school closures and defunding- building a national movement of educators, youth and caregiver organizers and allies. What does it look like when the labor sector unites with the education justice sector to stop school closures and privatization and address the widespread defunding of the public safety net across IDEA disability funding, SNAP benefits, and more?

]]> National: Labor + Community Unites to Protect Public Education! Moira Kaleda, Kyle Serette, Manuela Arciniegas 00:48:08 Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Moira Kaleida from The Alliance to Reclaim our Schools and Kyle Serette from the National Education Association. Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Moira Kaleida from The Alliance to Reclaim our Schools and Kyle Serette from the National Education Association. educationjustice, peoplepower false full 3 1 021ee576-d23c-4a71-bc88-4c6d00f7653e Chicago: Rooting in Healing: Whole School Safety Frameworks & Cross-Sectoral Collaborations On this episode of Beyond the Bell, Jenny Arwarde and Meyiya Coleman from Communities United and VOYCE tell us about the work they did to center youth voices in designing and implementing the Whole School Safety Framework, which was embraced by Chicago Public Schools, ultimately removing police from schools and building a holistic safety and healing framework that recognizes organizing as a healing and transformative practice, while empowering young people to design the systems transformations they want to see across systems and communities in education, public safety, health, and more.

]]> Wed, 19 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Communities for Just Schools Fund) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/chicago-rooting-in-healing-whole-school-safety-frameworks-cross-sectoral-collaborations-D82V1oau On this episode of Beyond the Bell, Jenny Arwarde and Meyiya Coleman from Communities United and VOYCE tell us about the work they did to center youth voices in designing and implementing the Whole School Safety Framework, which was embraced by Chicago Public Schools, ultimately removing police from schools and building a holistic safety and healing framework that recognizes organizing as a healing and transformative practice, while empowering young people to design the systems transformations they want to see across systems and communities in education, public safety, health, and more.

]]> Chicago: Rooting in Healing: Whole School Safety Frameworks & Cross-Sectoral Collaborations Communities for Just Schools Fund 00:46:26 Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Jenny Arwarde and Meyiya Coleman from Communities United and VOYCE Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Jenny Arwarde and Meyiya Coleman from Communities United and VOYCE false full 2 1 c34035c3-8ed3-4a31-a3c9-f77d055938fe Los Angeles: Black, Queer, Immigrant Students Fight and Protect Against Anti-DEI attacks! Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Joseph Williams, executive director of Students Deserve, and youth organizer/scholar Kahlila Williams, to spotlight how Black, queer, and immigrant students in Los Angeles are organizing for real safety and belonging. From defunding school police and defending the Black Student Achievement Plan to winning investment in LGBTQIA+ studies and Dream Centers, and building community self-defense against ICE: This debut episode traces the strategies, coalitions, and abolitionist vision powering youth-led education justice in 2025. A moving conversation about transforming schools from sites of control into places of care, dignity, and love, led by the young people living it.

]]> Sat, 8 Nov 2025 17:02:04 +0000 info@cjsfund.org (Manuela Arciniegas, Joseph Williams, Kahlila Williams) https://beyond-the-bell.simplecast.com/episodes/los-angeles-black-queer-immigrant-students-fight-and-protect-against-anti-dei-attacks-zx9sm1OZ Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Joseph Williams, executive director of Students Deserve, and youth organizer/scholar Kahlila Williams, to spotlight how Black, queer, and immigrant students in Los Angeles are organizing for real safety and belonging. From defunding school police and defending the Black Student Achievement Plan to winning investment in LGBTQIA+ studies and Dream Centers, and building community self-defense against ICE: This debut episode traces the strategies, coalitions, and abolitionist vision powering youth-led education justice in 2025. A moving conversation about transforming schools from sites of control into places of care, dignity, and love, led by the young people living it.

]]> Los Angeles: Black, Queer, Immigrant Students Fight and Protect Against Anti-DEI attacks! Manuela Arciniegas, Joseph Williams, Kahlila Williams 00:58:20 Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Joseph Williams, executive director of Students Deserve, and youth organizer/scholar Kahlila Williams, Host Manuela Arciniegas (Communities for Just Schools Fund) sits down with Joseph Williams, executive director of Students Deserve, and youth organizer/scholar Kahlila Williams, false full 1 1