The St. Paul Public Schools Office of Equity has recruited high school juniors and seniors from three St. Paul-area school districts to serve as “Youth Ambassadors” for the Beyond Our Walls: SPPS Equity Summit.
The one-day event, which includes students from Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS); South Saint Paul Public Schools; and West Saint Paul Public Schools, is set for April 26. The event will focus on “racial and gender equity” under the theme: “From Harm to Healing, From Hope to Action.”
A school announcement about the event says, “Youth Ambassadors will learn from and lead fellow students, staff, and community members through topics related to intersectional racial & gender equity that make them come alive!” Youth Ambassadors receive a $375 stipend.
The summit is also “dedicated to learning and leading through racial equity, gender equity, and all their intersections.”
On the application to become a “Youth Ambassador,” students are told they will be asked to design, and then lead, a 60-minute breakout session which focuses on a topic connected to “racial and/or gender equity.” Those attending these breakout sessions will include other students, community members, and school staff.
The application includes questions about racial and ethnic identity, pronouns, and the applicant’s past experiences with racial or gender equity work.
According to The Daily Wire’s Mairead Elordi, the SPPS Office of Equity has asked attendees to “NOT share to social media or public-facing platforms (e.g. Facebook, X, community bulletins or newsletters, district websites open to the public).”
🚨NEW: St Paul Public Schools in Minnesota told invitees to keep quiet about its "Equity Summit" this month citing "current political attacks on equity"
"We ask that you DO NOT share to social media or public-facing platforms"
From the district's "equity specialist" pic.twitter.com/ZzCEwQktrU
— Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) April 10, 2025
The communication guidelines for the event say “current political attacks on equity have real, potentially harmful consequences for our students, staff, and families.” Instead, event participants were encouraged to share information directly with groups or individuals committed to “social justice,” and “racial and gender equity.”
Erica Wacker, a spokesperson for SPPS, told Alpha News the district’s “previous marketing strategies for this event did not yield as high of participation as we had hoped,” and direct communication with those interested was their most successful form of recruitment.
Wacker also stated that the Youth Ambassador program’s purpose is to enhance “cultural fluency, competence and interaction, leading up to and including the Beyond Our Walls event.”
According to the Daily Wire, the summit is open to “educators, students, parents, leaders, and community members,” and will include a keynote speech from Dr. Bettina Love, whose academic work focuses on “systemic racism” and advocates for “abolitionist educational approaches.”
During his first days in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to eliminate federal funding or support for “illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.”
On SPPS’ website, the Office of Equity outlines its commitment to confronting “institutional racism” through its “Racial Equity Policy,” the Daily Wire reported. The district also touts its “Gender Inclusion Policy,” which allows “all students to participate” in activities “consistent with their gender identity.” The policy also gives “students access to facilities that best align with students’ gender identity.”
Additionally, the office maintains a webpage titled “Justice For George Floyd,” which has a list of “resources” about “Talking with Children About Racism and Whiteness” and “Understanding Racism and Whiteness: Resources for Adults.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
