Liberate Parker Elementary School in East Oakland! Parker Elementary students & East Oakland youth share with POOR Magazine what motivates them to fight for Parker Elementary. By East Oakland Youth Skolaz, Jassiona & Samira Youth Skola Story #1: “My name is Jassiona and I’ve been at Parker, the liberation, for 23 days. Some people ask me how I got involved in it. Well I used to hear their marches every day and how they were taking over my community school. The first day I got

White as can be Settler blood Living on Lummi, Nooksack, Coast Salish Seas territory I’ve been in such small, no-so-private spaces I had to learn how to silent cry so my feelings would have less of an impact on my 2 babies Rage through the whisper sound the back of my throat makes when I silent cry It’s 3am and I’m crunched in the corner space of a trundle bed in the doorless laundry room of a trailer Not so sure how long we’ll get to stay Flashbacks to sleepless nights

Liberate Parker Elementary School in East Oakland! Parker Elementary students & East Oakland youth share with POOR Magazine the story of Parker Elementary and why they are occupying the school & trying to keep it open. By East Oakland Youth Skolaz @ Parker Elementary Zarian, age 12, from East Oakland (originally from Fresno): “Well I’m here at Parker because nobody gave OUSD aka the school board the right to close down this school or really any schools at all.” Samira, age 11

Walking down a winding path paved with eggshells. Freedom is a low hanging fruit just out of reach. The sky eats up light and the fog tries to suffocate me, blanketing the path and settling on the tree. My feet move forward at a grinding pace. My body is young and my mind Is old, saturated with experiences I have yet to process. The fog is gravity now, pulling me to the earth, whispering sweet nothings in my ear, promises of love and protection, safety that compromises freedo

Almost kicked out of my great aunt’s house for taking hormones at 18