LGBTQ Youth Educate Voters on Redlands School District Election Candidates

(REDLANDS, Calif.) — A dozen high school students canvassed door-to-door on Oct. 12 to educate local voters on the Redlands Unified School District election. 

The Inland Empire Prism Collective (IEPC), an advocacy group that rallies for civic issues surrounding LGBTQ+ youth communities, hosted the ‘Redland Pride at the Polls’ event to spread awareness about local school district candidates running for board of education positions. 

The organization, which relies heavily on volunteers, organized high school students from a mix of schools in the San Bernardino County United School District to canvass voters. The student volunteers were split into a handful of groups led by IEPC staffers. 

The gathering, at Slow Bloom Coffee, a small but popular spot in Redlands, was led by Miguel Rivera, the development director and co-creator of the IEPC. The event was easily identifiable by the giant colorful IEPC banner.

The stated mission of the IEPC was to encourage parents and local residents to vote for school board candidates in the upcoming election on Nov. 5. As a 501(c)(3) organization, it did not endorse any specific candidates on the ballot, according to Rivera.

“We’re trying to inform [voters] of their options. To vote with what their ethics are, what’s best for the LGBTQ youth,” Rivera said. He handed out door hangers with Redlands Unified School District electoral candidates printed on them to each high school student who entered the coffee shop. 

Once elected, board members will serve four-year terms and have considerable influence on LBGTQ+ policies in schools.

“There’s been a lot of hostility towards LGBTQ youth across California and we’ve seen it pop up in some of the cities here especially, so the reason why we’re trying to target Redlands neighborhoods is because last year around this time of year things got really heated in one of the school board meetings,” said Erika Ruiz, the IEPC community organizing director and co-creator.  Last year, she said, school board members and community members got into an argument about pride flags and escalated to the point where police reinforcements were called in.

With bright yellow flyers in one hand and to-go coffee cups in the other, the students hopped into vans with the staff to embark on a door-to-door mission to educate locals about the upcoming elections. 

A message board promoting local events at Slow Bloom Coffee [credit: Natalie Martinez]

For about three hours, the canvassing groups knocked on Redland homeowners’ doors and urged them to vote in the upcoming school board election. Some groups were greeted with open doors and others were met with closed doors and Ring camera rejections. 

“We can’t advocate for any candidates, but what we can do is go talk to voters and talk to them about their voting plan and ensure that they’re making informed decisions about the candidates that they’re voting for and that they’re voting with their values,” Ruiz said.

Some students noticed more Harris-Walz signs on lawns in neighborhoods close to Redlands University. In those areas, homeowners seemed to be more receptive to their door knocks.

Alicia Ramirez, a community organizer and an outsider worker hired by IEPC for the event, took the students to canvas. Ramirez, who has a long history of working with nonprofits in the community, said she was happy with how the canvassing went and how the students were active and passionate while knocking on doors.

She noted that volunteers who were members of the queer community were determined to make change, while volunteer allies understood their work was important for the greater cause of fighting for their friends and family. 

Ramirez pronounced the canvassing project a success after it ended. If they can raise more funds the IEPC hopes to host more events in the future to advocate for and educate LGBTQ+ youth in school districts. The organization. While the IEPC is funded by Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), a faith-based non-profit that serves San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, organization members say the funding they receive is not always enough. 

Still, employees of the IEPC are optimistic about getting the necessary money to hold more events like the ‘Redlands Pride at the Polls.’ 

“So, you know, a lot of these students have never witnessed up close policies happening like this, and not only that, just being able to Canvas and get their voices heard. So I think it’s very cool that prism is here, allowing them to, you know, witness another side of it in another district, you know, helping out our USD, our USD kids,” said Ramirez.