The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY)

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Looking back: The Resolution Sparks a Movement

In 2003, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) adopted a bold resolution to protect student privacy and resist military recruitment in public schools. What began as a local stand against the encroachment of the No Child Left Behind Act’s Section 9528—granting military recruiters access to student data—evolved into a two-decade movement that reshaped youth activism, policy, and public consciousness.

Amid growing opposition to the Iraq War, San Francisco passed a landmark resolution declaring the city a “Military Recruitment-Free Zone.” This symbolic stance aligned with its broader identity as a sanctuary city and peace-oriented municipality.

On January 14, 2003, SFUSD passed Resolution 212-10A15, affirming students’ and parents’ rights to opt out of military data sharing. The resolution mandated resource packets on alternatives to military service, featuring groups like CCCO, AFSC, and the National Lawyers Guild. It required opt-out cards for all high school students and classroom discussions on privacy and militarism. This policy, introduced on UN Human Rights Day, was a direct response to the Bush-era militarization of education and the $2.4 billion recruitment budget targeting youth.

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January 14, 2020 / Jacqueline Luqman / The Real News Network - Last week and this, Black Twitter was aflood with funny memes that seem to make light about how black people aren’t included in the “We’re going to war with Iran” sentiment because the push for this war wasn’t about black people or what black people wanted. But all jokes aside, are black and Latino and native and poor white people really sitting on the sidelines of America’s military actions, or are they more involved in them than they realize or would even like to be?

Here to talk about all the ways that black people, brown people, and poor people actually are the people most targeted by military recruiters, which puts them right in the cross hairs of military action, is Erica Caines. Erica is a local organizer in Baltimore and is the founder of Liberation Through Reading. You can find that on #liberationthroughreading on Twitter. Erica, thank you so much for joining.