Conversations in the Community, Inc., recognizes Colgan High School rising junior, Genesis B. Graves for her Community Action Project, which tackles the topic of racial and cultural discrimination and stereotyping in Prince William County Schools.

“I chose to address discrimination in Prince William County as my community action project because I feel like not enough people understand why stereotyping is wrong and how it affects everybody. I think the only way to stop stereotypes, discrimination and racism is through
education starting at a young age,” said Graves.

The Community Action Project was an end-of-year project assigned by former Colgan High School English teacher, Mr. Nicholas Demayo. Students were instructed to select any topic impacting the community and discuss the issue as well as how they would address it.

“I assigned this project to not only teach students to interrogate the ways systems of race, class, gender, national origin, and sexuality impact their daily lives but also to encourage them to take initiative in their community by proposing a solution to a local issue. I hoped students
would connect their research on systemic issues to their proposed solution in order to create something like a video or infographic that could be useful to other people in their community,” said Demayo.

“I am extremely proud of how Genesis used this platform to elevate the important conversation about racial and cultural discrimination in Prince William County Schools. It was particularly effective and powerful that she interviewed current students about their personal experiences
and that Genesis is seeking real solutions to real problems that plague our community,” said Jennifer Roberts, president of Conversations in the Community, Inc.

Conversations in the Community, Inc. is a non-profit organization headquartered in Haymarket, Virginia. It is committed to engaging community members in meaningful and respectful dialogue about racism and addressing issues in education with the goal of developing empathy
and building strong communities. www.citcom.org.