Police departments help LA high schoolers raise money for D.C. trip in wake of Charlottesville
Mike Szymanski | August 18, 2017
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Police and parents join Dorsey High students as they raise funds for their trip. (Courtesy: Daphne Bradford)
Officers from the Los Angeles school police and California Highway Patrol are coming to Dorsey High School on Saturday to help students raise money for a trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
“In light of the Charlottesville tragedy, this event will shine the light on hope not hate,” said Daphne Bradford, a tech educator who organized the event. “Our goal is to show the importance of organizations working together to resolve cultural differences, improve community relationships, and simply respect each other.”
Bradford is CEO of the education consulting company 3Brains Innovation and founder of Mother of Many, a nonprofit she founded in 2006 to close the achievement gap for underserved students and to prepare high schoolers for science, technology, and digital careers. She teaches computer science to Dorsey High School’s STEM and Law Magnet students.
About 15 officers plan to volunteer their time along with teachers, parents, students, and community members at Saturday’s Back-2-School BBQ cook-off. Food sales and the cook-off are organized by 3Brains Innovation.
One of the Dorsey student volunteers. (Courtesy: Daphne Bradford)
“This is an amazing positive event happening Saturday,” Bradford said.
The students and teachers plan to visit Washington in September to learn about the historical, racial, and cultural struggles and contributions of African-Americans from slavery through today. Bradford said that most importantly the group will discover, discuss, and learn about the importance of different organizations working together to resolve cultural differences, improve community relationships, and respect each other.
“Every successful movement involves young people,” Bradford said. “We have young people ready to deliver change and build a more tolerant and inclusive society.”
The Back-2-School BBQ is 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Dorsey High School’s STEM and Law Magnet Pavilion, 3537 Farmdale Ave.