DESCRIPTION

October has been Youth Justice Awareness Month (YJAM) since 2008. In 2016, it became Youth Justice ACTION Month. During YJAM, people across the country organize events that raise awareness, strengthen coalitions, build campaigns, and encourage action to keep children out of the adult criminal justice system. The theme for this year’s YJAM is #VoteYouthJustice – because the elections this November will be critical in determining whether the opposition gets stronger, or whether forces for better justice for youth get the upper hand.

October is also National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM)—a coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of culture in America. NAHM was launched by Americans for the Arts 30 years ago as National Arts Week in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1993, it was reestablished by Americans for the Arts and national arts partners as a month-long celebration, with goals of:

FOCUSING on the arts at local, state, and national levels;
ENCOURAGING individuals and organizations to participate in the arts;
ALLOWING governments and businesses to show their support of the arts; and
RAISING public awareness about the role the arts and humanities play in our communities and lives.

BMore Awesome Inc (BMAi) honors YJAM and NAHM with the Equity is Awesome event. The Equity is Awesome event is an annual live multi-media showcase and party. All funds raised during the Equity is Awesome event helps BMAi address the plethora of policy and socioeconomic issues which comprise the School to Prison Pipeline and improve business relations between foundations and grassroots organizations. BMAi’s advocates for changes in policies that contribute to systemic inequity while building and developing a base of entrepreneurial activists and artists.

BMAi 2018 VICTORY

BMAi partnered with the NAACP-Legal Education and Defense Fund (LDF) and other organizations to work with city officials to reform school police policy. As a result, for the first time since the Baltimore City School Police Force (BCSPF) was created over 20 years ago, Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) has developed a policy and regulation detailing the roles and responsibilities of school police officers. BCPS also updated BCSPF’s general orders, which instruct officers on how they should interact with students and school staff.