In the News

Browse coverage of LIT's work in our communities.

Our Response to the Milwaukee Common Council President's Comments on Police in Schools

Cendi Tena, Deputy Executive Director of Organizing at Leaders Igniting Transformation, issues the following statement in response to Common Council President Cavalier Johnson’s call for MPD to be reinstated in Milwaukee schools and for American Rescue Plan funding to be used to hire more cops.

Milwaukee Magazine: How This Youth Organizing Group Has Become a Force for Change

The organizing group LIT has amplified youth voices calling for the demilitarization of schools.

La Crosse Independent: The Young Always Inherit the Revolution

Our Western Wisconsin Campus Organizer, Laura Abellera, discusses what it means to remove police from colleges and secondary schools.

New York Times Opinion: How Democrats Can Win the Youth Vote in November

“Politicians, political parties, funders, need to actively engage young people year round,” said Lamonté Moore, 28, LIT’s college director. “Not just when it’s beneficial with them.”

Up North News: Hundreds March to Get Police Out of Milwaukee Schools

“The protest, organized by LIT, included speakers both young and old. All spoke of the need to end the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately affects students of color.”

NPR: Milwaukee Public Schools Terminate Contract with Milwaukee Police Department

"The world is seeing why we don’t need police in our schools," said Kris English, a high school sophomore and fellow at the student-led group Leaders Igniting Transformation.

Spectrum News: Young Leaders Stand Their Ground on Policing in MPS Schools

“The movement lead by Leaders Igniting Transformation was founded 3 years to build up and train young leaders to use their voice to shape the policies that affect their lives. “

The Atlantic: ‘I Am Stunned’: Wisconsin Democrats Unlikely Victory

“The Republicans’ effort to suppress turned people out to vote against them,” says Dakota Hall, a Milwaukee activist who runs a group devoted to organizing young voters of color.

The Appeal: Voting Rights Advocates Sound the Alarm About Disenfranchisement of Black Voters in Wisconsin’s Primary

“This election is truly going to be one for the history books. Though it probably will not be declared illegitimate, I think a lot of voters will probably declare it illegitimate because of the disenfranchisement. We literally held an election during a pandemic.”

Vox: How Wisconsin’s Election Disenfranchised Voters

Executive Director, Dakota Hall, speaks on the unequal polling experiences of Wisconsin voters during the April 2020 elections.

TMJ4: Developing Artists and Activists in Milwaukee

“Leaders Igniting Transformation -- L.I.T. -- has been around since 2017, and their mission is to help young people of color find their voice, and use it through art, to bring about change.”

Teen Vogue: It’s Time 2020 Presidential Candidates Take Action to Dismantle the School-to-Prison-and-Deportation Pipeline

"And last month in Milwaukee, months of pressure and advocacy by Leaders Igniting Transformation helped stop a $217,600 contract that would have purchased 16 replacement airport-style X-ray machines to put in Milwaukee public high schools.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: After student protests and testimonies, MPS votes against upgrading X-ray scanners

"'The presence of police officers, metal detectors, harsh disciplinary policies and limited resources are pushing students out of the classroom and into prisons,' said Cendi Trujillo Tena, a lead organizer with LIT.“

The Intercept: How Democrats Plan to Win Wisconsin in 2020

“During the 2018 election, according to LIT’s executive director Dakota Hall, young people knocked on over 35,000 doors and collected over 10,000 voter pledge cards.”

Shepherd Express: Cendi Trujillo Tena: Honoring the Voices of Youth While ‘Igniting Transformation’

Trujillo Tena and the staff understand that the youth’s experiences are real, and that their values matter just as much as any adult’s. “I let them lead, and they know what they are doing.”

Refinery 29: The Verdict Is In: The Youth Vote Shaped The Midterm Results

“In Wisconsin, the 10-month-old group Leaders Igniting Transformation knocked on 30,000 doors and sent 50,000 texts, contributing to a 35% turnout among young people, which helped boot anti-choice, anti-union Gov. Scott Walker in favor of Democrat Tony Evers.”

Think Progress: Milwaukee Students of Color Say It’s Time to Talk About the School-to-Prison Pipeline

“Are we here to learn or are we here to be policed?” asked Joya Headley. Headley argued that the criminalization of Black students is creating a challenging environment, one that is ultimately hurting students.