Student Leadership Council Cohort 7 Graduates

Thursday, 30 Mar 2023

Prince William County leadership, community members and local students gathered on March 27, 2023, for the Human Rights Student Leadership Council, or HRSLC, Cohort 7 Graduation Ceremony. The leaders who spoke at the HRSLC graduation ceremony thanked the high school students for their time on HRSLC, where they learned leadership skills and explored their interests in civil rights, human rights and anti-discrimination laws.

They also urged the council members of Cohort 7 to carry what they learned in their five months of work into the community and beyond.

Prince William County Executive Christopher Shorter told the public, private and home-school students that they were phenomenal and said he was proud of their service.

Shorter talked about redlining, a practice in which African Americans were denied housing in white neighborhoods. Redlining ended with the Fair Housing Act of 1968, but people still feel the effects of the practice that lasted decades.

“I’ll tell you today, in Austin, Texas, there is a 20-year life expectancy difference between residents who live in some of those redlined communities and residents who do not,” Shorter said. “There is a real difference, not just 50 years ago, but today, because your voices, what you have learned in this program, we need you today. It’s not just history. It’s today. We need your voices here in Prince William County. Having young leaders like yourselves who understand local, state and federal government policies and looking at them through the lens of human and civil rights has never been more critical than it is today.”

Prince William County Human Rights Commission Chair Curtis Porter told the students his parents experienced redlining when they couldn’t buy a house in Montclair in 1967. Porter brought a $566.40 check the developers refused to take and showed it to the audience at the ceremony.

“My dad kept this,” Porter said. “This was one thing that when he passed, I was going to hold onto just to remind me how far we have come and how important it is to be invested in human and civil rights.”

When redlining was outlawed in 1968, Porter said his parents bought a bigger, better house in another neighborhood.

Prince William Human Rights Commission Vice Chair Evelyn Brumar referenced the adage that says survivors weather the storm and the strong are the storm.

“Being the storm is having knowledge, initiative and a voice and using these skills to change landscapes,” Brumar told the HRSLC graduates. “You all are the source of that change. What you see, what you believe, you will become. Keep on learning. Keep on objecting and giving voice to public concerns. Keep on coming up with solutions and promote those ways to improve the quality of our community. You are the storm because you lead with mind, heart and spirit, love and compassion for others.”

Superintendent of Prince William Public Schools Latanya McDade reminded council members that the theme for their session was “Building Bridges” and tasked them with continuing the theme in their futures.

“Much like the function of a bridge, leadership is building connection. As leaders, you serve as architects, building bridges between people, communities and cultures for others and even sometimes for yourself,” McDade said. “These engagements are valuable. You will learn critical information about people, policies, practices, history. The connections that you choose to make with people from all walks of life will allow you to demonstrate compassion, communicate your core principles and values, and invest in the people around you by depositing goodwill while working towards a more just society.”

“It’s important to acknowledge and recognize our parents because you are not only supporting your student, their voice, their interest, their passion, but you’re also supporting these kinds of opportunities within the county, supporting the work of the school division and the county so that we can advance the mission. We need you as engaged and authentic partners,” McDade continued.

Prince William Human Rights Executive Director Raul Torres encouraged the council members to remain aware of what is happening around them and to protect their rights and the rights of others using the lessons of their session.

“Cohort 7 has come to a close today, and you have accomplished another significant step in your development as young leaders. You have acquired new skills, have been exposed to new knowledge and have shared with other your personal experiences,” Torres said. “Now is the time to use what you learned here and continue to the betterment of our community, making your lives better and improving the lives of your peers, your families, your friends and your neighbors. It’s time to go out there and be aware of what’s going on around you. I challenge you to continue to be sensitive to human struggle and show empathy for human pain. Protect the rights of others as you would your own. Speak up. Participate in your community affairs. Let your voice be heard and give a voice to those who don’t have it.”

Torres said the student’s parents, schools and teachers were proud of them.

Prince William County Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry and Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey attended the ceremony along with Prince William County School Board Chairman Babur Lateef.

Prince William County Human Rights Commissioners Aaron Muz and Padreus Pratter handed out completion certificates.

C.D. Hylton High School Choir Director Tommy Tutwiler led the choir in two well-received musical selections.

HRSLC Graduates: