CGF: Charlene A Carruthers to speak on “Activism in Chicago”

Date:
Wednesday, August 12.
11:30am- 1:00pm
Lunch will be served

Venue
Niagara Foundation-Chicago office
205 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 4240
Chicago, IL, US, 60601

Charlene A. Carruthers is the national director of the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), an activist member-led organization of Black 18-35 year olds dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. Charlene is a political organizer and writer with over 10 years of experience in racial justice, feminist and youth leadership development movement work.
Her passion for developing young leaders to build capacity within marginalized communities has led her to work on immigrant rights, economic justice and civil rights campaigns nationwide. She has led grassroots and digital strategy campaigns for national progressive organizations including the Center for Community Change, the Women’s Media Center, ColorOfChange.org and National People’s Action.

Charlene is deeply committed to working with young organizers seeking to create a better world. She has facilitated and developed political trainings for organizations including the NAACP, the Center for Progressive Leadership, the New Organizing Institute, MoveOn.org, Young People For and Wellstone Action.

By Alexandra Turcios
Center for Public & Global Affairs Intern
August 15, 2015

On August 12, Charlene A. Carruthers joined Niagara for a Chicago Global Family Event. Carruthers is the national director of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), a collective aimed at empowering Black Americans to achieve racial and economic justice. She was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, having spent some years in Back of the Yards and Englewood neighborhoods. Carruthers attended Illinois Wesleyan University where she was one of 16 black students in her freshman class.

Her education quickly became rooted in the goal of mobilizing underrepresented students in attempt to shift the university culture. After her initiative did not create a large dent on campus, she came to the realization that mobilization does not guarantee that the fundamental structure will change.

This lead to her re-examine her role as a global citizen and as a Black American, inspiring her to pursue an international studies major. Carruthers’ politicization largely took place during her study abroad trip to South Africa, where she cultivated a love for developing young leaders within marginalized communities. Focusing on intersectional liberation, Carruthers worked on developing an organization that would precipitate economic emancipation and racial justice of Black Americans. This gave birth to the BYP100.

BYP100 was formed as a result of 100 young Black activists convening, coincidentally, on the date that Zimmerman’s verdict was announced for the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin. Carruthers explains that without this event, the gathering would have never evolved into the organization it has become today. BYP100 is unique because the work is viewed through a black core feminist lens, centered on the narratives and analysis of marginalized people.

In the last two years since the inception of the organization, Carruthers has worked to expand BYP’s research arm. BYP100 now encompasses topics such as the decriminalization of marijuana, dismantling the prison industrial complex and securing LGBT and women’s rights. As an action-driven organization, BYP trains youth through a grassroots mentality, instilling organization skills and power to transform disaffected communities which includes insisting an end to racial profiling and police brutality–all of which are vehicle to the social fruition of Black Americans.

Niagara Foundation would like to thank Charlene Carruthers for joining Niagara Foundation and sharing her incredible work with us.