A History of Empowerment

Since its formation in 2011, United Parents and Students has worked to become a force for positive change in the lives of Green Dot students and the larger school community. United Parents and Students addresses factors outside school boundaries that not only pose barriers to learning, but also inhibit local quality of life as a whole.

History of UPAS

November 4, 2023
July 25, 2023
November 10, 2022
August 31, 2022
June 3, 2022
May 16, 2022
October 29, 2021
October 25, 2021
September 30, 2021
September 28, 2021
August 30, 2021
March 1, 2021
February 2, 2021
November 17, 2020
September 7, 2020
July 27, 2020
June 17, 2020
May 29, 2020
April 29, 2020
March 29, 2020
February 5, 2020
February 2, 2020
December 7, 2019
September 24, 2019
July 16, 2019
July 12, 2019
July 11, 2019
June 7, 2019
May 7, 2019
May 7, 2019
March 26, 2019
February 7, 2019
February 6, 2019
November 17, 2018
November 6, 2018
August 23, 2018
December 2, 2017
September 9, 2017
May 8, 2017
March 25, 2017
February 16, 2017
November 5, 2016
November 5, 2016
September 27, 2016
September 27, 2016
June 7, 2016
March 15, 2016
February 6, 2016
December 12, 2015
November 7, 2015
November 6, 2015
April 18, 2015
December 13, 2014
March 8, 2014
May 25, 2013
January 26, 2013
January 1, 2011

UPAS 10TH ANNUAL ASSEMBLY

South LA – On November 4, 2023, nearly 400 parents and students gathered at Southwest College to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of United Parents and Students ...

Stamford Parents Unite to Celebrate New ELL Bill of Rights, Promoting Inclusion and Access in Connecticut School

A momentous occasion unfolded this past Saturday at the Stamford government center as parents, advocates, and local officials gathered to celebrate the passing of a ...

UPAS presents Community Investment Platform at Annual Assembly

United Parents & Students will hold their next annual assembly this weekend, where leaders will push their Community Investment Platform as a step to reduce poverty ...

UPAS Goes to CT

UPAS begins work in Samford, CT in partnership with Building 1 Community (B1C) and hires Regional Organizer Ariana Fernandez.

Civic Engagement

As California prepares to hold primaries to select candidates for the November elections, United Parents and Students has been busy motivating communities to go to ...

UPAS partners to promote the Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund

Community-Based Organizations, including United Parents and Students, recently urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to include the Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund (HERJ) in the state’s 2022/2023 budget. The ...

Violence Prevention

UPAS families collaborated with many organizations to increase violence prevention services in Los Angeles, which resulted in a $20MM allocation by the county to support ...

SB 28 – Digital Equity

UPAS leaders thoroughly supported SB-28 (authored by CA Senator Ana Caballero) because we believe that every student, every family, and every zip code should have ...

MYLA311 Translation

UPAS led a powerful campaign to get the MYLA311 app fully translated by holding hundreds of 1:1’s and house meetings, and collecting thousands of petition ...

Guaranteed Basic Income

UPAS supported hundreds of families in applying for Los Angeles City basic guaranteed income pilot program, BIG:LEAP.

$35MM Food Justice

In response to UPAS and AHA organizing, the County Board of Supervisors allocated over $30MM to grocery vouchers to support families facing food insecurity during ...

COVID-19 Vaccine Equity

UPAS, in partnership with Green Dot Public Schools and St. John’s Well Child Clinic, fully vaccinated more than 7,400 eligible people against COVID-19. In efforts ...

​Hero Pay Approved!

UPAS parents and students advocated for the LA County Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles City Council to support an ordinance granting essential grocery store ...

Together We Rise | 7th Annual UPAS Assembly

On November 17, 2020, over 1000 parents, students and community members gathered virtually for the 7th annual UPAS Assembly. Leaders were joined by Mayor Eric ...

Virtual Voter Registration Drives

​UPAS team members take to the virtual classroom to register students in time for the 2020 Presidential election. UPAS was successful in registering over 400 ...

Young Organizers Gather Virtually

12 new student leaders – including our first from Washington state – gathered virtually for the 4th annual Young Organizer’s Institute! Students participated in virtual ...

You’re the Cure

​UPAS was awarded the Los Angeles Leadership “You’re the Cure” Award from the American Heart Association for advocacy against the sale of flavored tobacco products ...

COVID-19 Response – Food Support

​In response to tremendous job loss due to the pandemic, UPAS CA teamed up with One Family LA to distribute $140,000 in Target gift cards ...

Tunnel Closure

​In response to family organizing, Public Works closed a tunnel in the Florence-Firestone community next to Animo Pat Brown which had put many students in ...

Good Food Zones Motion

Families supported the LA Food Policy and Good Food Zones Working Group to organize for the passage of the Good Food Zones Motion by City ...

LAUSD BD7 Candidates Forum

Families gathered at Locke High School to hear from candidates for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board District 7 candidates.

Combating Illegal Dumping in South LA

Parents, students, and community members from Animo James B. Taylor and Alain LeRoy Locke came together to address the illegal dumping happening around the railroad ...

UPAS Committees Launch

UPAS Leaders launch four committees: Food Justice, Housing, Digital Divide, and Violence Prevention, where leaders will focus more intently on developing action to address these ...

Youth-Led Anti-Vaping Campaign

UPAS Young Organizers in coalition with the American Heart Association and LA Families Fighting Flavored Tobacco campaign successfully organized to end the sale of flavored ...

Food Justice Meeting

In response to UPAS organizing, LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis proposed the Improving Supermarket Quality motion to the Board of Supervisors on July 16, 2019. ...

“Fight Back!” UPAS 6th Annual Assembly

Over 500 parents and students attended the 6th Annual UPAS Assembly :Fight Back! hosted at Los Angeles City Hall. UPAS leaders were joined by Assemblymember ...

UPAS Youth Provide Immigration Support

​UPAS student leaders at Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy organized peers and school site staff to mail Know Your Rights information and Red Cards to ...

3rd Annual Young Organizer’s Institute

UPAS hosted its 3rd Annual Young Organizer’s Institute with largest number of student participants since program inception. 27 students from across Los Angeles participated in ...

Close Illegal dispenseries

Animo Legacy and Animo South LA families joined together to report illegal dispensaries near their schools selling to minors and selling unregulated products. Families met ...

Cleaning up the community

Animo James B. Taylor families host a series of 311 walks to make reports together urging the city to increase their efforts in cleaning up ...

Community Appreciation Day

Over 400 people participated in Locke’s Community Appreciation Day and Community Organizing Institute celebrating the great Cesar Chavez at Alain LeRoy Locke College Prep Academy. ...

Data-fest

City Controller Ron Galperin partners with UPAS and GD Public Schools to launch data-fest, a free month long program that teaches students to work with ...

New Regional Coordinator

UPAS Tennessee is officially launched with hiring of new Regional Coordinator of Organizing, Kevin Armstrong.

Forward SoCal: Justice for All!

On November 17, 2018, more than 1,000 United Parents and Students leaders gathered at Bovard Auditorium at USC for our 5th Annual Assembly: Forward SoCal: ...

#VoteTogether

Over 200 families and community members joined for food, games, music, and civic education at school and polling location Animo Pat Brown to celebrate the ...

Community shopping day

Over 70 families celebrate UPAS Certified Store of Excellence, Grocery Outlet Inglewood, with a community shopping day.

ForwardLA: A Day for Justice

On Saturday, December 2, 2017, United Parents and Students, in conjunction with Green Dot Public Schools and other partners, will welcome parents, stakeholders, local leaders and elected officials, ...

Student Safety

In the fall of 2017, Public Works and the Board of Supervisors voted to put new, larger school zone signs and no left turn and ...

Youth Organizers Institute

In the summer of 2017, UPAS launched the Young Organizers Institute, an 8-day summer educational series created for high school students interested in fighting for ...

Community Wellness and Resource Fair

United Parents and Students hosted its third annual Community Wellness and Resource Fair, held at Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy in collaboration with the ...

UPAS met with Councilmember Price

Over 100 parents and students attended a meeting with Councilmember Price, where students presented their action projects and asked eh Councilmember for his support. Parent ...

Organizational Engagement

Over 650 people gathered to celebrate the number of families registered to vote. Attendees committed to vote in the general election and/or to turn out ...

United Parents and Students Assembly

Over 650 people gathered to celebrate the 2,074 parents, students and community members that UPAS registered to vote. Attendees committed to vote in the general ...

Civic Engagement

To encourage civic engagement, family nights were held at DLH/AEO, HCLC, VEN/WMS, ING, and WAT/MAE. Over 1600 parents attended, breaking parent engagement records. to assist ...

Family Nights

Over 1600 parents and students attended family nights at Ánimo Watts, Ánimo Western, Ánimo Phillis Wheatley, Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo (combined event with Ánimo ...

Get on the Bus Voting Day

Over 160 parents and students took buses from Ánimo South LA, Ánimo Jackie Robinson, Ánimo Venice, and Ánimo Pat Brown to Ánimo Watts High School ...

Saftey Meeting

Parent and student leaders from Ánimo Watts and Ánimo Mae Jemison led an incredibly successful Community Safety Meeting. Over 180 parents and students attended and ...

Meeting with Mayor Garcetti

As a follow up to the 1850-person United Parents Assembly held on December 5, 2014, parent leaders met with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at ...

Delegates Assembly

400 parents, students and school site staff joined together with community leaders at Locke High School to continue pushing for cleaner and safer streets, more ...

Advocated for Safer, Cleaner Streets

On November 7, 2015, over 200 parents gathered at Ánimo Ralph Bunche and Ánimo Jefferson with the Captain of the LAPD Newton Division, the Neighborhood ...

United Parents and Students Supports the Minimum Wage Rise to $15

80 Parent Leaders worked with leadership from LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO) to raise the LA City ...

Meeting with Councilmember Buscaino

United Parents and Students met with Coucilmember Buscaino at Ánimo College Prep Academy. Parents led the meeting and made specific requests related to the platform ...

United Parents Assembly 2014

1850 Parents, students and school site staff joined together with community leaders to push for cleaner and safer streets, more job opportunities for civic engagement ...

Increased Safety in Transportation

300 Parent Leaders from Ánimo Ralph Bunche Charter High School and Ánimo Jefferson Charter Middle School worked with Councilmember Jan Perry, Councilmember Curren Price and ...

Public Safety Meeting

200 Parent Leaders at Alain LeRoy Locke College Prep Academy convened at a Public Safety Meeting with Councilmember Parks and LAPD Southeast Captain Tingirides to ...

First Community Organizing Institute Training Session

20 parent leaders gathered at the first Community Organizing Institute training session.

A History of Empowerment

Since its formation in 2011, United Parents and Students has worked to become a force for positive change in the lives of Green Dot students ...