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Q&A
Youth advocate shares experience of discrimination at age six
8:09:42
ยท
68 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph engages with a youth advocate about her experience of discrimination at age six. The advocate describes how this early experience sparked her passion for advocacy and her understanding of the importance of restorative justice practices in schools.
- The youth advocate shares how the experience stayed with her and influenced her current advocacy work
- She emphasizes the need for teachers to create safer school communities
- The council member acknowledges the impact of the advocate's story
Rita Joseph
8:09:42
How are you feeling from your experience at six years old?
8:09:46
So that stayed with you and you described it vividly.
8:09:50
Yes.
8:09:51
Love your hat by the way.
Mamuna Dumbia
8:09:52
Oh, thank you.
8:09:53
Honestly, when I was six years old I was clueless.
8:09:56
I didn't think that the world could be this cruel and having to experience that and knowing that that wasn't the first that wouldn't be the last time I would experience it It was something that was so powerful and it has led me to have this little spark of advocacy that I have today.
8:10:13
Now, I see black children, particularly black girls getting criminalized in their school systems.
8:10:19
It's something that drives me to make the world a better place especially in New York City.
8:10:26
Primarily in that instance, for example, I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to react in that case.
8:10:32
I was just a young girl.
8:10:33
I figured that it was something that was normal and I was the person who did something wrong but growing up and learning more about restorative justice practices I realized that teachers are the one who should be making our schools a safer community.
8:10:48
Thank you.
Rita Joseph
8:10:49
Thank you for sharing.