ASCORE Members Inspire Leadership in Today’s Youth

by Owen Ruth

The Civil Rights movement is one of the defining events in American history, providing a poignant example of Americans fighting for the ideals of justice and equality. When students learn about the movement, they learn what it means to be an active American citizen. They learn how to recognize injustice. They learn about the role of individuals, as well as the importance of organization. And they see that people can come together to stand against oppression.

In Asheville, the civil rights movement was led by a group of high-school students known as ASCORE (Asheville Student Commission on Racial Equality). Beginning in 1960, ASCORE systematically and peacefully desegregated Asheville’s lunch counters, libraries, pools, and parks. These individuals partnered with a collaboration of organizations to hold a two-day summer conference for students at Asheville High and Middle Schools.

In June, close to 100 Asheville City Schools students attended a conference called “Me2We” at UNC Asheville. Me2We’s workshops and speeches encouraged and taught attendees leadership skills that they can use in their everyday lives. From this starting point, participants have now formulated plans to right social wrongs in their community and are connected with the necessary adults who can help.

Following a structure of “past, present, future,” the conference relied on intergenerational instruction, experiential learning, and peer mentoring. Members of ASCORE, Freedom Riders, and Argentinian student protests shared their experiences as teenagers in the 1960s. Participants grasped why the civil rights movement mattered and were able to relate its relevance to challenges faced in their own lives.

The Me2We conference was planned and led by youth. By the end of the conference, attendees had a good understanding of the principles of non-violence, and how to, as Gandhi so wonderfully put it, “be the change they wished to see in the world.”

The conference received high praise from the students who attended. “I loved meeting new friends” remarked one student. Another came to this realization: “In ASCORE, if they saw something that needed to be changed they did something about it. Nowadays we are quick to complain and slow to make change.” Another had this to say. “The Me2We conference taught me a lot. I learned about the desegregation of Asheville, as well as the best way to make a difference in my community. And if nothing else, it feels good know I was a role model for someone else.”

Erika Germer, the coordinator for the City of Asheville Youth Leadership program says, “Leadership is not an inherent ability; rather, it is a set of skills and attitudes that can be learned and practiced. Young people underestimate their own potential to be leaders, when in fact they may already be modeling leadership at home, in the classroom and in their community. On the flip side, there are many students who are not offered the chance to act as leaders via formalized activities. Leadership development can improve self-esteem, deter risky behavior, and give adolescents a voice in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.”

The Me 2 We conference has helped young people learn these skills and attitudes. For its next stage, the Center for Diversity Education plans to hold parent-training seminars to get parents of youth more involved in the process of civic engagement.

The program also supports an afterschool component called, In Real Life (IRL), for which Namurah Blakley is an instructor. IRL designed to offer consistent, flexible opportunities for students to grow in confidence build relationships and have fun.

Blakely is looking toward building mentor-mentee relationships within the Asheville community. “It is important to me, and I hope to you, that our future leaders see and acknowledge the past and present leaders of our community. This knowledge will stay with them forever to help shape and mold them into our leaders of tomorrow.”

For more information about leadership development opportunities, including involving youth groups from churches, communities, and organizations, contact the Center for Diversity Education at [email protected].