Voices of Youth: Combating single-storied perceptions of the African continent

This video is part of Concentrate's Voices of Youth series, which features content created by Washtenaw County youth in partnership with Concentrate staff mentors, as well as feature stories by adult writers that examine issues of importance to local youth. In this installment, student journalist Thylicia Babumba discusses the impact of stereotypes with young Ann Arbor residents of African heritage.

To learn more about Voices of Youth and read other installments in the series, click here.

Thylicia Babumba is a future 9th grader at Huron High School. Thylicia is a very dynamic and energetic person, which is paired with her diverse interests, ranging from psychology to movie and cinematography analysis to serial killers. Thylicia's passion for social justice began during the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, after police brutality caused the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. This effect sparked her interest in learning more about the injustice that was happening to marginalized groups. Later on she joined the Black Student Union club at Scarlett Middle School, where she formatted educational slides, met with the Ann Arbor Parent-Teacher Organization, and taught people about the African-American experience and history. She also joined AAPI-SC at Scarlett Middle School, where she also helped form educational slides that presented the overlooked history of Asian-Americans and their unfair representation in the media. She will continue her work through high school and beyond.

Concentrate staffer Chrishelle Griffin served as Thylicia's mentor on this project.

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Diversity, Equity, Voices of Youth

Voices of Youth: Combating single-storied perceptions of the African continent

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