Youth Speaks is a left-of-center art activist group in the San Francisco area focused on teacher poetry and providing venues for artistic expression to youth. Comments from the organization’s leader and the tone of various products, such as the organization’s short film series, demonstrate that the organization is left-of-center and embraces the idea that America is rife with systemic oppression and racism and that some sort of revolutionary overhaul of the social order is necessary. ^{1 2 3}

Finances

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, Youth Speaks reported $2,831,645, down from $7,595,998 the prior fiscal year, of which $1,892,273 was derived from contributions and grants, $367,108 from program service revenue, and $2,567 from investment income. It reported $3,890,868 in expenses, up from $1,881,568 the prior year, of which $1,414,652 was spent on salaries and benefits. It ended the year with net assets of $4,876,007, down from $6,085,331 at the beginning of the fiscal year. ⁴

Organization Philosophy

Youth Speaks states that its mission is to “deconstruct current dominant narratives.” However, in a statement regarding Florida educational reforms led by Governor Ron DeSantis (R), the organization released a statement asserting that such reforms were a form of violence rooted in white supremacy and that they erase intersectional movements led by women. ⁵

Projects

Artistic Events

Youth Speaks hosts and cosponsors various art-focused events in the San Francisco area. These include rap and hip-hop competitions, poetry slam competitions, and a once-a-month teen poetry slam. ^{6 7 8}

Educational Programs

Youth Speaks runs a writing workshop geared for teenagers aged 13 to 19. The class runs for 12 to 16 weeks. Program participants in the San Francisco area are also eligible for cash stipends upon completion of the program. ⁹

The organization also runs a 6-month program for educators and other people who work with teenagers in order to educate them in the Youth Speaks curriculum and to get students and schools involved in slam poetry clubs and Youth Speaks slam poetry competitions. ¹⁰

The Bigger Picture

Youth Speaks created a series of short videos under its film project The Bigger Picture. This series began in 2013 with a focus on type 2 diabetes and expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic under the theme “Survival Pending the Revolution.” Short films in this series focused on the idea that adverse health outcomes among minorities is the result of “systemic oppression” and that the pandemic presented an opportunity to deal with “capitalist greed.” The series also argued that the fact that a vaccine was rapidly created for COVID-19, but that a “vaccine” has not been created with similar urgency for social ills such as poverty is proof of systemic oppression and racism. ^{11 12 13 14 15}

Leadership

Michelle “Mush” Lee is the executive director of Youth Speaks. Her biography states that she is a poet who utilizes spoken-word poetry as a pedagogical method. She is the vice-chair of the City of Oakland’s cultural affairs commission and in that role has worked to utilize art and creativity in policymaking. ^{16 17}

1. “About Youth Speaks.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/about/.
2. Lee, Mush, and Bijou McDaniel. “Heat of the Moment: Thoughts on Florida’s Erasure of AP African American Studies Curriculum.” Youth Speaks, February 28, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/heat-of-the-moment/.
3. “The Bigger Picture.” The Bigger Picture. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://thebiggerpicture.youthspeaks.org/.
4. Youth Speaks, Return from and organization exempt form taxation (form 990). 2021, Part I.
5. Lee, Mush, and Bijou McDaniel. “Heat of the Moment: Thoughts on Florida’s Erasure of AP African American Studies Curriculum.” Youth Speaks, February 28, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/heat-of-the-moment/.
6. “MC Olympics.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 20, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/mc-olympics/.
7. “Unified Fest.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 20, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/unified-slam/.
8. “Under 21 Open Mic.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 20, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/under-21-open-mic/.
9.  “Writing and Performance Workshops.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 20, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/writing-workshops/.
10.  “Bay Educators for Youth Voice.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 20, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/bay-educators-for-youth-voice/.
11. “The Bigger Picture.” The Bigger Picture. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://thebiggerpicture.youthspeaks.org/.
12. “Virus.” The Bigger Picture. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://thebiggerpicture.youthspeaks.org/virus/.
13. “Hold Your Applause.” The Bigger Picture. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://thebiggerpicture.youthspeaks.org/hold-your-applause/.
14. “Oak Wilt.” The Bigger Picture. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://thebiggerpicture.youthspeaks.org/oak-wilt/.
15. “Me, Asthmatic, Immunocompromised, Black, Discuss Coercion Under The Pandemic.” The Bigger Picture. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://thebiggerpicture.youthspeaks.org/dmani-thomas/.
16. “Youth Speaks Team.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 19, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/team/.
17. “About Youth Speaks.” Youth Speaks. Accessed June 19, 2023. https://youthspeaks.org/about/.