Juwan Blocker is a life time resident of Prince George’s County, Maryland and a graduate of the Prince George’s County Public School System. He got his start in advocacy and activism as a community organizer during his 9th grade year. Throughout his time as an advocate and activist he fought in Annapolis against proposed Maryland budget cuts to education, advocated to lower the voting age to 16 in the city of Hyattsville, advocated against increasing property taxes, the need for more young people to be involved in influencing school board policy and decision making on the Prince George’s County Board of Education and a host of other efforts. Due to his dissatisfaction of some of the leadership and the toxic level of politics in the way of our students getting the education that they deserved, he ran to serve as the Student Member of the Prince George’s County Board of Education. Though he lost his first bid for the office, he was not discouraged and remained committed to ensuring that students received the best education. He was able to work towards this goal by serving in various leadership roles and on boards including being the Lobbyist of the Prince George’s Regional Association of Student Governments, being the Legislative Chairman of the Maryland Youth Advisory Council, appointed to be a committee member of Delegate Alonzo Washington’s Alternative to Suspension Task Force and a host of other leadership roles and boards.
Blocker ran for a second time to serve as the Student Member of the Prince George’s County Board of Education for the 2016-2017 academic school year and was elected. As the Student Member of the Board of Education Blocker advocated on behalf of and represented 130,000 students. While on the Board he focused on making county students aware of school board issues and decisions, and helped and encouragedthem to take action through advocacy to influence school board policy and decision making. He has always voted on behalf on what was in the best interest of students including voting to support a third-partyinvestigation of the Head Start Program, and supporting a motion to add additional math and reading specialist in schools in the county that needed it. His most notable accomplishments on the board includeleading a successful effort to require the school system to restore funding for Advanced Placement exams, so that students could continue to take Advanced Placement test without worrying about the financialburden of having to pay $93 per exam.
Having gained knowledge of how our school system operates and seeing how politics can negatively impact student’s education is why Juwan is running to become a full member of the Board of Education. He understands that we not only need people that are qualified to serve but people who will not be brought off by the political establishment. Juwan has and will continue to hold himself and school system leadership accountable to ensuring that every student graduates college or career ready, will be transparent, and responsive to the needs of his community.
Juwan has been recognized throughout Prince George’s County for his leadership with his most notable awards being inducted as the youngest member at the age of 17 of the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund Forty under 40 in the area of Public Service, Jesse J. Warr, Jr. Memorial Award and other awards.
He is currently a student at Bowie State University majoring in History and Government with a minor in Pre-Law.