Memphis United volunteer attorney Cassie Ford talks to children from the Memphis Ambassadors program at Lindenwood Christian Church on July 21, 2016.Over this summer, we facilitated 30 Know Your Rights Theatre workshops with hundreds of young people across the city of Memphis.
These free workshops educate young people about their rights and demystify encounters with law enforcement. By teaching young people how to safely and respectfully interact with police, our programming makes our community safer for both civilians and police. And unlike traditional education that lectures students but does not engage them, Know Your Rights Theatre lets students participate in the lesson, which makes them want to learn and helps them retain what they learn.
How do we know Know Your Rights Theatre works so well?
We have gathered more than 600 evaluations by young people aged 5-19 who participated in our workshops.
Here are some things young people told us about Know Your Rights Theatre:
— “I liked that the students were able to participate instead of them just lecturing us.”
— “I like the fact that they broke down our rights with a visual.”
— “It was relevant to things happening currently.”
— “It actually showed through skits how we could use our rights.”
— “[I learned] statements such as ‘Am I being detained?’ and ‘I will exercise my right to remain silent.’”
— “It was entertaining, yet educational.”
We hope to expand this programming into the fall. Please contact us to schedule a workshop for your organization.
Memphis United is a project of the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. To sustain our work, please click here.