In 2016, seven families sued the State of Michigan, claiming that the state violated the constitution by failing to provide Detroit students with a basic education, including teaching them to read. It was an incredible team effort between the plaintiffs, community leaders, and attorneys to not only make this lawsuit a priority, but also to ensure the case proceeded in a way that protected the plaintiffs and set the stage for future benefits for Detroit's kids. And we were oh so close to establishing a new constitutional right to literacy. We were honored to have played a small part in this historic litigation.
Street Democracy filed an amicus brief on behalf of 482Forward, a parent-student education advocacy organization. We felt that the best way to demonstrate the lack of access to literacy and its impact on students was to put front and center the words, art, poetry, and protests of 482Forward's members. To our knowledge, this is the first voice brief of this kind.