Becoming Activist

is a revolutionary study of youth human rights activism and literacy learning. The book follows five urban youth organizers from the Drop Knowledge Project in New York City and offers insight into conducting literacy work to promote positive youth and community development.

Elizabeth Bishop holds a PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Pittsburgh. She has taught history, literature, writing, and media in New York schools and community organizations. Bishop works as Assistant Director of the Peace Corps Fellows at Teachers College, Columbia University.

«This is a creative and exciting exploration of urban youth activism. Through the narrated experiences of five urban youth organizers, Elizabeth Bishop explores collective and socially conscious meaning-making and the efforts of these remarkable young people to create a more just, equitable, and peaceful world. Perhaps the most valuable contribution of this book is that it foregrounds the myriad ways that these and other «growing adults who possess the capacity to be leaders in the present» grapple with issues of oppression, organize for justice, and in the process build and leverage critical literacy skills to engage in civic action. Arguably, as an aging country, with a rapidly changing demographic, we ignore, at our peril, social capital inherent in these civically conscious youth. We owe a debt of gratitude, but also a responsibility, to the youth profiled in these pages, to value and learn from their civically minded individual and collective concerns.» (Kim Gomez, Associate Professor, Departments of Education and Information Studies, UCLA) «In most of the major civil rights movements of our time, young people have taken the lead and put themselves on the front lines in the struggle for social justice. highlights the narratives of five youth activists who, as they shape a life for themselves, take up issues of access to equitable education, healthcare, and other services all humans deserve. Activists young and old have much to learn from the members of the Drop Knowledge Project featured in this groundbreaking book. Richly woven narratives provide a look into how these youth activists support one another, organize, and push for change in their local communities at the intersection of critical literacy and social action. Anyone who reads this book cannot help but gain incredible insight into the developmental intricacies of grassroots activism, youth agency, and critical literacy. I predict that readers will ultimately be inspired to find their own voice in the perennial fight for social justice in societies – here in America, and around the globe.» (Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Assistant Professor, English Education, Teachers College, Columbia University)

«This is a creative and exciting exploration of urban youth activism. Through the narrated experiences of five urban youth organizers, Elizabeth Bishop explores collective and socially conscious meaning-making and the efforts of these remarkable young people to create a more just, equitable, and peaceful world. Perhaps the most valuable contribution of this book is that it foregrounds the myriad ways that these and other «growing adults who possess the capacity to be leaders in the present» grapple with issues of oppression, organize for justice, and in the process build and leverage critical literacy skills to engage in civic action. Arguably, as an aging country, with a rapidly changing demographic, we ignore, at our peril, social capital inherent in these civically conscious youth. We owe a debt of gratitude, but also a responsibility, to the youth profiled in these pages, to value and learn from their civically minded individual and collective concerns.» (Kim Gomez, Associate Professor, Departments of Education and Information Studies, UCLA) «In most of the major civil rights movements of our time, young people have taken the lead and put themselves on the front lines in the struggle for social justice. highlights the narratives of five youth activists who, as they shape a life for themselves, take up issues of access to equitable education, healthcare, and other services all humans deserve. Activists young and old have much to learn from the members of the Drop Knowledge Project featured in this groundbreaking book. Richly woven narratives provide a look into how these youth activists support one another, organize, and push for change in their local communities at the intersection of critical literacy and social action. Anyone who reads this book cannot help but gain incredible insight into the developmental intricacies of grassroots activism, youth agency, and critical literacy. I predict that readers will ultimately be inspired to find their own voice in the perennial fight for social justice in societies – here in America, and around the globe.» (Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Assistant Professor, English Education, Teachers College, Columbia University)

Contents: Drop Knowledge Project in New York City – Step One: Mobilizing to Disrupt the Commonplace – Historicizing the Future of Critical Literacy – Step Two: Interrogating Complex Perspectives – Organizing a Space for Justice – Step Three: Identifying Sociopolitical Issues – Designing Ethical Research – Step Four: Taking Social Justice Action – Imagining Tactically Strategic Futures – Step Five: Reflecting and Envisioning Activisms – Articulating Activist Identities.