Frontline Catalysts Youth continue the Fight Against Lead Contamination in OUSD

Our co-founder and Executive Director, Xochitl Cortez was just a kid when she began organizing around lead contamination in Oakland. Fast forward 3 decades and unfortunately, lead contamination is still an issue in our communities impacting our youth and poisoning our kids. In Oakland Unified School District, the crisis is being exacerbated by missing labels, clogged filters, and haphazard testing that contribute to confusion, frustration and a lack of access to clean, lead-free water for youth. 

Our youth at Frontline Catalysts are fed up, taking action, and leading the way — testing soil and water, educating communities, and demanding real change.

Now is the time for our community partners and media partners (like Oaklandside and ABC7) to help shed light on the district's negligence, uplift the words of our youth leaders and join the #GettheLeadOut movement. We need real, systemic investment in lead abatement led by youth and community voices. It’s not enough to just hand out water bottles or filters without long-term solutions that address the root causes of the issue. We urge you to take action and work with our youth leaders who have stepped up to address lead contamination where district leadership has failed.

Read Oaklandside’s investigation into OUSD’s failures to keep kids safe (part 1 and part 2), including quotes from Frontline Catalysts youth leaders.

To all progressive, equity-aligned funders: this is your chance to step up. Donate today to support youth leaders committed to getting the lead out of Oakland.