NAACP Partners with USSA to Host Rally and March for Equitable Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 27, 2025

Contact: Chyna Fields, [email protected]

WASHINGTON - This week, the NAACP, in partnership with USSA, led a mass march and rally on Capitol Hill to advocate for the protection of public education, student aid programs, and civil rights enforcement in schools. The event, which hosted hundreds of students, educators, and advocates from across the country, reemphasized the national call for education rights due to every student and child in America.

Tylik McMillan, National Director of the Youth and College Division shared this statement following the event:

"As Director of NAACP Youth & College, I've seen our students lead with clarity and courage, sharing firsthand how threats to the Pell Grant and weakened civil rights protections impact their education. Our students deserve investment, not cuts. We should be funding education, not wars because their futures, and the future of this nation, depend on it.

"This rally signified more than just passionate young people, but presented as a powerful opportunity for us to shape the narrative, build collective power, and elevate youth voices at the center of this fight for democracy and our futures."

The rally took place as the closing event of the United States Students Association's (USSA) LegCon26. Conference attendees represented over 39 universities nationwide. Key issues of the conference included increasing federal funding for community colleges, protecting undocumented student rights, and expanding SNAP benefits for students. Following the rally, participants conducted meetings with elected officials from both the House and Senate, advocating for policies that support students and public education.

"Attending LegCon was a powerful experience that allowed me to engage in redefining spaces and systems to better highlight the needs of students at HBCUs and Black students at PWIs," said Gayden Hill, Youth and College student at High Point University. "It reminded me that, at the end of the day, we are all students facing many of the same challenges, and meaningful change happens when we come together, advocate collectively, and support one another."

Education in America is under intense attack by lawmakers and bad actors who wish to roll back the progress we've made in our nation's classrooms. During this critical moment, the NAACP Youth and College Division is reestablishing our resounding call for progress to be made to bridge the gaps of inequity so every child in America has equitable access to education.

For more information on our education advocacy and Youth and College work, visit our website.

###

About NAACP

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund - also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.