Prentiss Haney , trainer, scholar and activist building progressive power in Ohio, is currently the Communications Director for the Ohio Student Association (OSA). The group is a student-led organization that engages in values-based issue and electoral organizing, nonviolent direct action, advocacy for progressive public policy, and leadership development. He is also the lead facilitator for Wright LEAD, an international youth development program in South Africa that trains and provides leadership skills to high school students. Haney holds a B.A. in Urban Affairs from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Can you tell us a little bit about OSA and how it was formed?
The Ohio Student Association (OSA) is a statewide organization led by young people both on and off-campus. OSA engages in values-based issue and electoral organizing, nonviolent direct action, advocacy for progressive public policy, and leadership development. On campuses and communities in nine key geographies, we organize young people to build independent political power for social, racial and economic justice.
Founded in January 2012, only a few months before George Zimmerman murdered Trayvon Martin, we have ignited the radicalization of a new generation of young leaders in Ohio committed to ending the criminalization of young people of color. The role of the OSA transformed into guiding a growing social movement across Ohio with the emergence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in August 2014. Building from OSA’s successful direct action organizing and leadership development programs, OSA has continued its multi-year focus on ending the criminalization of young people of color in Ohio by investing in base-building strategies in target geographies. Across the State, OSA has continued leading work to engage the student community and organizing for reform policies regarding school discipline and policing.
What is your personal journey that led to your activism with this group?
In 2012, I was searching for a place to create change. OSA was that home. I'd never before felt so empowered to fight for my community. OSA saw something in me and invested in my leadership. Then on Aug. 5, 2014, John Crawford III was killed five miles from where I lived and I saw my own morality. It was time for me to give it all; I’ve got to fight back for my life and for everyone I loved.
I'm a little familiar with your voter registration work. How did your group come to work/be involved with the particular issue of police shootings in Ohio?
As I stated above, our organization began only a few months before George Zimmerman murdered Trayvon Martin, which ignited the radicalization of a new generation of young leaders committed to ending the criminalization of young people of color. Since then, a number of new organizations like OSA have emerged to lead a new movement in the tradition of organizers like Ella Baker, Bob Moses, and Assata Shakur. The murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, and John Crawford in Beavercreek accelerated the development of this new racial justice movement into a powerful force for change. OSA was invited to a meeting in the Oval Office between President Obama and a few representatives of the new movement organizations following the intense, momentum-driven Justice for John Crawford direct action campaign OSA led in Beavercreek, and our state-wide civic engagement program which has registered over 20,000 young people to vote in 2016.
What will victory look like to your group, and how will you measure it?
In 2016, it looks like having thousands of conversations about what issues matter most to young people, especially during this election. We will be passing out 110,000 voter guides we have developed as the voice of the young people of Ohio. We want to make sure young people know where candidates stand on the issues that matter most to us.
In 2017, we plan on continuing to unleash young leaders in Ohio and build the social movement. We will see the launch of our “Invest-Divest” campaigns across Ohio. We need to invest in education, the environment and safety communities while divesting from policing, prisons and fossil fuels.
What can Daily Kos readers do to help?
If you are in Ohio, please contact Prentiss via ohorganizing.org to learn how to get involved.
Do you live in or near a swing state? Working America is running canvasses & phone banks in states that will decide this election. Click here to sign up to help, and a local organizer will contact you with more information about how you can help defeat Donald Trump and take back the Senate from Republicans.