Challenge #15: Activism

Female activists fighting for suffrage in the early 1900s

Recently, I’ve had to do a lot of thinking about high school as I approach my ‘last’ everything. Two days ago, I had my last Monday of high school. Today is my last peer group, where I lead/help a group of 9 freshmen with another senior. Tomorrow will be my last debate banquet, where I’ll be giving a speech because of my role as President of the Policy debate team. I’m going to share the message I’m giving in my speech, because it reflects both what I want my legacy to be at South, my high school, and what I want the debate team to engage in going forward.

My favorite parts of South have been being an activist. I’ve been involved with a group, Stand for Peace, which helps raise money and awareness for refugee and human rights issues. My favorite day of the year is always the last Friday of Stand for Peace week in mid-April. I spent the day presenting to social studies classes about different issues – this year it was human trafficking in Southeast Asia, last year it was issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, etc. The reactions are always fascinating: some people are shocked, some people are touched and make the effort to make a large donation or ask us presenters questions after we present.

Then there are the negative reactions, that make me want to keep fighting – girls and boys

Stand for Peace board during
Stand for Peace week 2014

who, on International Women’s Day, when we have petitions to sign ardently declare that “I’m not a feminist, feminists are the worst”. Their uninformed opinions make me want to sit them down and explain what exactly being a feminist means, or the pain that people in Africa go, or whatever they don’t understand and automatically are thinking it doesn’t matter.

I think activism is underrated. People don’t think that they can achieve anything, when, in fact they can. Senior Academy Action Projects, an end of the year service project have proven that 25 people can make a real stab at solving real life project like malaria, invasive species and disability awareness. I think it’s important for people to find what they believe in and advocate for it. Especially within the debate community: we’re trained to be persuasive and be educated on a range of projects, which can translate into meaningful change if applied in the right way instead of now, where it tends to just be ‘oh, because of my debate skills I can write this 10 page research paper the night before’.

I’m so excited next year to be in Washington DC, where protests happen every day. I’ll have so many resources to continue fighting for what I believe in – female equality and universal human rights. But I also want people to replace me and my classmates and continue the strong traditions of making a difference that Stand for Peace and Academy have established. 

Cia♀,

Charlie