“[This work] is a way for me to feel connected with this larger sense of purpose; it’s a way for me to feel like I’m not waiting for the real world or that I’m postponing action. I’m being a part of a solution towards racial justice and equity.”
Priya Vulchi is the co-creator of the non-profit organization called CHOOSE, which focuses on promoting racial literacy. Along with Winona Guo, she has traveled across the country interviewing people about race and giving speeches about racial literacy. She has co-authored two books, The Classroom Index which serves to inform educators about how to cultivate racial literacy, as well Tell Me Who You Are, which’s recounts hundreds of stories about Americans experience with race. She and Guo are the youngest Ted-Talk speakers ever.
Nationality: American
Industry: Activism
Q: What do you hope for the future of The Classroom Index? Where would you like it to take you both? (Teen Vogue)
A: “Choose has taught me that if you want change you’ve got to put the work in. You can’t just talk about what you’d like to be fixed and pretend that reality isn’t the current and present moment. Get real even if it’s uncomfortable and that will ensure change and I think the classroom index has exemplified that. We hope that it will impact classrooms nationwide and that all K-12 students in the United States will develop the tools for racial literacy using our book as a platform.”
