The Social Justice Academy (SJA) is a small learning community within San Leandro High School that serves over one hundred scholars and families each year. It is a rigorous three-year program that utilizes a pedagogy grounded in critical, intersectional, and transformative education, community, and solidarity.
2. FIRE OFFICER OVERTON.
3. DIVEST FROM SLPD,
4. INVEST IN MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS IN THE COMMUNITY AND IN SL SCHOOLS.
6. COMMIT TO AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH ANTI RACIST CURRICULUM, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES
8. REIMAGINE SAN LEANDRO AND SAN LEANDRO SCHOOLS. CHALLENGE AND DISRUPT CAPITALISM,
9. FIGHT FOR JUSTICE.
10. STAND WITH THE COMMUNITY.
Since 2011, the Social Justice Academy has been hosting Solidarity Fest. It is part of their Season of Service, Period of Peace projects. In addition to Solidarity Fest, the SJA students facilitated close to 100 workshops using restorative circles at Bancroft and John Muir Middle Schools, restorative theatre at our high school, and workshops surrounding the #NoMore Campaign that discussed consent, domestic violence, healthy relationships, toxic masculinity, and gender roles at the high school.
At this year’s Solidarity Fest, our sophomores will be hosting different tables focusing on the power of self expression and representation such as social justice stenciling, land is life, art for mental health, a Rest in Power memorial, and so forth. Our juniors will host tables tackling different social justice topics such as the importance of clean water, the seven generations principle, LGBT+ rights, the school to prison pipeline, and so forth. They seek to engage our school community on these topics and hope to inspire action by doing things such as taking pledges, collecting petitions, various symbolic acts, and so forth. Our seniors will be hosting tables that educate, survey, and engage our school community on the issues they are focusing their senior independent, inquiry based projects on. As an academy, we hope to inspire, decolonize, and spark discussion and action.
Students in SJA went precinct walking in support of Measure I, a bond measure that will bring much needed funding into SLUSD schools.
Field Trip to the Capitol
Students in SJA visited the California Museum and their exhibit, the "Unity Center", California State University, Sacramento, and the State Capitol. They were able to visit Assembly Member Rob Bonta's office and speak to representatives in his office to discuss important bills making their way through the assembly.
Memorial for Mariah Davis and Caleb Poole
Mariah Davis, a beloved SJA alumna, was murdered in a brutal act of domestic violence. The Social Justice Academy mourned and celebrated her life at a memorial and candlelight vigil on October 3rd, 2018. Caleb Poole, a former SLHS student died in a tragic accident a couple days before. SJA hosted a memorial for both Mariah and Caleb.
Since 2011, the Social Justice Academy has been hosting Solidarity Fest. It is part of their Season of Service, Period of Peace projects. In addition to Solidarity Fest, the SJA students facilitated close to 100 workshops focusing on restorative justice using restorative circles at Bancroft and John Muir Middle Schools and restorative theatre at our high school. These workshops support this year’s campaign, “Restorative Revamp: Restoring the Humanity in Education,” which advocates for the building of restorative practices in our district.
At this year’s Solidarity Fest, our sophomores will be hosting different tables focusing on the power of self expression and representation such as social justice stenciling, celebrating sheroes and heroes, highlighting students’ struggles and triumphs, and so forth. Our juniors will host tables tackling different social justice topics. They seek to engage our school community on these topics and hope to inspire action by doing things such as taking pledges, collecting petitions, various symbolic acts, and so forth. Our seniors will be hosting tables that educate, survey, and engage our school community on the issues they are focusing their senior independent, inquiry based projects on. As an academy, we hope to inspire, decolonize, and spark discussion and action.
Clean Dream Act Now!
Winter Celebration SJA Family Picture
Featured SJA Sheroes and Heroes  I am Social Justice Poem I am social justice because it saved my life. I was a freshmen ignorantly swimming into the school to prison pipeline. I had a 1.9, but two people saw the potential I had when no one else did. I am social justice because it saved me from a cycle. I’ll be first to walk the stage in my household. I am social justice because I grew tired of running a rat race blind. It gave me the cheat sheet to a happy life. And it taught that life isn't a race it’s a marathon. As long as you finish, you win. And for that, I owe social justice my life. I am social justice because social justice taught me how to organize and mobilize. It taught me how to save someone’s life. How to invoke my personal rights. I am social justice because it taught me there’s more than one way one to be a superhero. I am social justice because it made me appreciate the struggle. It gave me a voice when I struggled to find mine. It made me strong mentally. And even though I don’t do it, social justice taught that it’s ok for men to cry. I am social justice because it enlightened a mind lost in the darkness. So I owe social justice my life. It saved me from myself. And Imma dedicate my life to social justice. I just wanna say thank you, Dolid and Viray. I am eternally grateful. Peace Hassani Bell, Class of 2015 Excerpt from Senior Term Paper “A moral and just society does not deny people the right to live
freely under their own pretenses. It does not deny people access to basic
fundamental rights. It does not shoot and kill 12 year old children playing
with toy guns, or college bound young men with their hands up. It does not deny
people who live just $1 above the poverty line access to government assistance,
but give multi-billion dollar corporations tax breaks. It does not
allocate trillions of dollars to the inhumane removal of a people from their
own land when there are millions of people without homes on American soil. A
moral and just society is a society that prioritizes people as a whole, not
just one group and certainly not money.” Nikayla Johnson, Class of 2015 Excerpt from Author's Chair Piece “Family, a group of people that has helped me get through tough times, laugh through those times, and made me look back at those times. A group of people that make me remember where I come from. Surely this family ain’t perfect, nope, not one bit, but they are just perfect enough to call family. I am talking about the students and teachers of the Social Justice Academy.” Tyler Stevenson, Class of 2015 | Highlights from the 2014-15 School Year  Black Lives Matter: Hands Up, Don't Shoot Congratulations to the Social Justice Academy's Class of 2015! We will miss you! Thank you for allowing our program to be part of your lives! Year End Celebration Video Peace in the Streets |