Jackson Free Press

When the Pew Charitable Trusts released data on juvenile-detention rates across the country earlier this month, Mississippi had the third greatest percentage drop (77 percent) in young people committed to the juvenile- justice system.

We should be shouting from the rooftops about this sharp decline. It's a victory won through advocacy that brought about much-needed changes in laws and policies. It's also a decline that has occurred without any increase in violent youth crime.

But we should not forget that our young people still face an array of issues in Mississippi. As part of National Youth Justice Awareness Month, we will celebrate our victories and focus on the future of the youth justice movement at the Third Annual Art, Poetry and Justice SLAM. The event is set for Oct. 26 at Tougaloo College's Bennie Thompson Auditorium from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Middle school, high school or college students can register for the slam at www.tinyurl.com/ArtPoetryJustice or at the event.

The slam is an opportunity for students to speak out and speak up about the issues they face in Mississippi—and compete for cash prizes and giveaways in the process. It is always a powerful evening of fun and reflection. SLAM winners have spoken eloquently about bullying, teen pregnancy, abusive police officers, going hungry at night, youth incarceration and many other important issues.

This event also comes as Mississippians are commemorating the 50th anniversaries of major civil-rights events, which may seem irrelevant for many of our young people. But our schools are more segregated now than they were 30 years ago. Health care clinics in our communities do not provide our youth with adequate care. Our neighborhoods lack access to affordable, healthy food. And these children are too often seen as criminals.

These young people are in need of a movement. But, when they speak up, adults often shut them up. As adults, we see young people as nuisances to be controlled rather than experts of the world in which they live. We forget that the problems youths face today are not caused by their age. These issues are the result of negligence committed by adults. They are the result of a system that has failed young people.

But the youth of America have a powerful voice when they speak up.

That voice was heard when the Dream Defenders in Florida sat in at their capitol for weeks to demand a change to the "stand your ground" law in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict—which was really a verdict of guilt for young, black men.

The youth voice was heard when the Mississippi Student Justice Alliance stood up to Nissan in support of workers' rights.

And it was heard when the children of immigrants—Dreamers—stood up in capitols across the country for immigration reform.

This is why the Southern Poverty Law Center and other organizations come together every year for the SLAM. These groups include the Children's Defense Fund's Southern Regional Office, The Young People's Project, the United Way of the Capital Area, Tougaloo College's Owens Health and Wellness Center, the United Auto Workers, the ACLU of Mississippi and One Voice of Mississippi. We believe in creating safe spaces for young voices to be heard—places where the ears of the adults and the system listen.

Too often, the first time someone really notices these children is when it's too late and the child is behind bars or out of school. We hear about what pushed them out of school and into the streets. We hear how a sick grandmother in need of care led to a young person dropping out of school. We hear about special needs that were never met. We hear how an incarcerated father forced a teen to become the family's breadwinner. We must lift the voices of the youth to create a better future.

Every child has a story that needs to be told—and heard.

Jed Oppenheim is a senior advocate with the Southern Poverty Law Center and an occasional columnist for the Jackson Free Press. For more information about the Third Annual Art, Poetry and Justice SLAM, call 334-322-8218.