Sonia Yaco
Encyclopedia
Sonia Yaco was the 1972 Human Rights Party candidate for the Ann Arbor
, Michigan
school board. When she ran for office at the age of fifteen, she became the youngest documented candidate ever for a publicly elected school board seat in the United States
.
in school leadership, Yaco was a youth activist
with Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor
. After announcing her campaign and working with allies from the Human Rights Party, Yaco completed the procedural requirements for candidacy by submitting a petition with signatures from more than eighty-five qualified electors requesting that she be certified as a candidate. The Office of Operations of the Ann Arbor Public Schools
denied certification of Yaco's candidacy in an attempt to stop her bid for a seat.
On June 7, 1972 the Human Rights Party requested a court hearing to stop the vote from happening before the trial was held. Their request for a preliminary injunction
was denied by a district court judge. The election was held on June 12, 1972, without Yaco's name on the ballot, but Yaco received eight percent of the total votes as a write-in candidate.
The Human Rights Party filed a lawsuit with the Michigan
courts, Human Rights Party v. Secretary of State for Michigan, on May 11, 1973. They requested that the court declare the statute unconstitutional on the ground that it denies persons under eighteen years of age equal protection of the law in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment
. The court argued that Court in Oregon v. Mitchell, YMCA Vote at 18 Club v. Board of Elections of the City of N.Y. and McGowan v. Maryland provided precedents of age deterrents. In YMCA Vote at 18 Club..., in particular, the court had specifically found that school boards can exclude students under eighteen from running for school-board seats, primarily because of concerns about "maturity."
Yaco's campaign has been credited as one factor among several leading to the formation of the city's experimental, alternative Community High School later that year.
Yaco went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in Madison, Wisconsin
, and developed a career in the field of archival records and administration.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
school board. When she ran for office at the age of fifteen, she became the youngest documented candidate ever for a publicly elected school board seat in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The election
Calling for student voiceStudent voice
Student voice describes the distinct perspectives and actions of young people throughout schools focused on education."Student voice is giving students the ability to influence learning to include policies, programs, contexts and principles."...
in school leadership, Yaco was a youth activist
Youth activism
Youth activism is when the youth voice is engaged in community organizing for social change. Around the world, young people are engaged in activism as planners, researchers, teachers, evaluators, social workers, decision-makers, advocates and leading actors in the environmental movement, social...
with Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor
Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor
Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor was an organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It existed from 1970 to 1979, and is often cited in more recent academic literature as one of the leading forerunners of several youth movements in the United States, including the youth rights movement, youth voice...
. After announcing her campaign and working with allies from the Human Rights Party, Yaco completed the procedural requirements for candidacy by submitting a petition with signatures from more than eighty-five qualified electors requesting that she be certified as a candidate. The Office of Operations of the Ann Arbor Public Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools serves the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan and parts of eight surrounding townships covering . The district operates 20 elementary schools, 1 K-8 open school, 5 middle schools, 3 comprehensive high schools, 3 alternative high schools, 3 preschools and 1 adult education program;...
denied certification of Yaco's candidacy in an attempt to stop her bid for a seat.
On June 7, 1972 the Human Rights Party requested a court hearing to stop the vote from happening before the trial was held. Their request for a preliminary injunction
Preliminary injunction
A preliminary injunction, in equity, is an injunction entered by a court prior to a final determination of the merits of a legal case, in order to restrain a party from going forward with a course of conduct or compelling a party to continue with a course of conduct until the case has been decided...
was denied by a district court judge. The election was held on June 12, 1972, without Yaco's name on the ballot, but Yaco received eight percent of the total votes as a write-in candidate.
The Human Rights Party filed a lawsuit with the Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
courts, Human Rights Party v. Secretary of State for Michigan, on May 11, 1973. They requested that the court declare the statute unconstitutional on the ground that it denies persons under eighteen years of age equal protection of the law in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
. The court argued that Court in Oregon v. Mitchell, YMCA Vote at 18 Club v. Board of Elections of the City of N.Y. and McGowan v. Maryland provided precedents of age deterrents. In YMCA Vote at 18 Club..., in particular, the court had specifically found that school boards can exclude students under eighteen from running for school-board seats, primarily because of concerns about "maturity."
Yaco's campaign has been credited as one factor among several leading to the formation of the city's experimental, alternative Community High School later that year.
Yaco went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, and developed a career in the field of archival records and administration.
See also
- Keith HefnerKeith Hefner (activist)Keith Hefner is the founder and Executive Director of Youth Communication, an influential nonprofit organization publishing magazines and books by and for youth. The magazines are New Youth Connections, written by New York City teens, and Represent, by and for foster youth...
- History of Youth Rights in the United StatesHistory of youth rights in the United StatesFirst emerging as a distinct movement in the 1930s, the history of youth rights in the United States has long been concerned with civil rights and intergenerational equity. Tracing its roots to youth activists during the Great Depression, youth rights has influenced the civil rights movement,...