By Kevin Epps
In a time when our children face invisible dangers behind screens and within school walls, a movement is building to reclaim their safety and well-being. On a powerful Friday afternoon in Menlo Park, community members, educators and parents gathered for Securing Our Village, a dynamic two-part workshop and call-in series organized by Knot Our Kidz, a youth advocacy organization founded by educator and children’s author Monee’ Brown, MA.
Hosted by Councilmember and Belle Haven Action Founder, Cecilia Taylor, the session brought urgency and clarity to a growing crisis: how digital access through school issued devices, phones and tablets is becoming an unmonitored gateway for exploitation, bullying and emotional manipulation of our youth.
“Oakland is number one on the sex trafficking track, and our children are being exposed every day, often right through school devices,” Brown told the audience. “That’s a whole new platform our kids can be trafficked through. If we don’t take control of it, who will?”
With over two decades of experience as a Deputy Probation Officer, Monee’ Brown has seen firsthand how technology can serve both as a tool for learning and a weapon of harm. Through Knot Our Kidz, she has transformed her passion into purpose helping families and educators navigate the murky waters of online safety.
The interactive two-to-three-hour workshop, held in partnership with The Village Voices, The Soultown Magazine, and AfroFuturism Discovery Academy, brought together organizations, school leaders, parent advocates and caring adults from across the Sequoia Union School District. Their shared goal: to raise awareness, equip communities with digital safety tools, and launch the On Your Campus, In Your Care campaign, an initiative to hold schools and tech platforms accountable for what children access on their watch.
“This isn’t just about internet filters or firewalls,” said Councilmember Taylor. “This is about empowering parents to demand transparency and action. Our schools have a responsibility too; these devices are coming from them.”
The conversation went beyond the virtual dangers to uncover deeper challenges, mental health disparities, lack of culturally responsive support, and the disconnect between schools and the Black and Brown families they serve.
Chelley Hawkins, a parent leader with The Village Voices, spoke about the hidden trauma many Black students face when bused into predominantly white or affluent schools.
“Our kids carry so much – anxiety, depression and the weight of being unseen,” she said. “These so-called ‘better schools’ might have good ratings, but that doesn’t mean our children are safe, supported or thriving.”
Hawkins emphasized the need for culturally competent spaces where Black families can speak honestly, access resources, and close the communication gap between home and school.
“Too often, parents assume their child is doing fine because the school has a good reputation,” Hawkins added. “But behind the scenes, something else is happening – our children are being left out of the promise.”
Throughout the workshop, attendees were trained to recognize signs of emotional manipulation, cyberbullying and grooming. They were encouraged to advocate for legislation Monee’ Brown has introduced – designed to hold schools, tech providers and digital platforms accountable.
In a society saturated with screens, Securing Our Village is more than a catchy title – it’s a call to action. One that reminds us that real protection doesn’t start with algorithms or firewalls but with informed adults, unified communities and empowered parents standing together.
Kevin Epps is a Dad, award-winning filmmaker, community activist, author, executive editor of the SF Bay View “National Black Newspaper” and a board member for the SF Bay View Foundation. Reach him at kevin@sfbayview.com or on Instagram: kevinepps1.
