Wilde Lake HS Student Organization Receives Human Rights Commission Award

September 27th, 2021

The Wilde Lake High School Students for Social Justice organization (S4SJ) has been selected to receive the 2021 Howard County Human Rights Commission’s Colette Roberts Organization Award. The student group, which was nominated for the award by the school administration, staff, and community members, will be recognized at the Commission’s awards program on October 19, 2021.

The Howard County Human Rights Commission awards honor individuals and community organizations for contributions to human and civil rights in Howard County. The purpose of the award is to recognize exemplary citizenship, dedicated leadership and outstanding achievement in eliminating or eradicating discrimination, while advancing human rights for all residents of Howard County.

S4SJ is a school-based activist group that focuses on societal issues and restorative justice. Students in the group discuss current social issues and develop action plans to help address them.

Activities led by S4SJ include movie nights with follow-up discussions about topics such as uplifting students’ race and ethnic identities; a book drive featuring books with diverse protagonists for a feeder elementary school; and student dialogues about social justice topics. S4SJ has also collaborated with other HCPSS high schools on social justice work and partnered with community groups to enact the Black Lives Matter School Week of Action, aimed at improving the school experience for students of color.