Feminist Club Fights For Women's Rights
The club has made a big impact on campus with their service and advocacy.
By Bibi Sediqi
The club has made a big impact on campus with their service and advocacy.
By Bibi Sediqi
Like many of the clubs on campus, the Feminist Club had a late start on building their community, but nonetheless, they've successfully held many meetings and events throughout the year.
The Feminist Club focuses on the principles of feminism, advocating for individuals who identify as women. The club board consists of President Mia Howell, 10, Vice President Emily Goguen, 12, Treasurer Alexandra Silva, 10, Secretary Jisela Negrete, 10, and adviser, English teacher Theresa Kurzawa.
Recently, the club hosted a menstrual product drive, with a total of 32 boxes of pads and 52 boxes of tampons donated. From all the donations, 1544 hygiene kits were able to be created and distributed to Next Door Solutions, a non-profit organization that houses domestic violence survivors. This fundraiser was a prime example of the club's mission in action. In the past month, Karinah Guzman, a speaker from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the nation's largest Anti-Sexual organization, and the ROAR MVMT.
“On event day, we began a dialogue and answered some questions from students. It was so encouraging to see that not only are Pioneer students acutely (were) aware that sexual violence is a problem, but they also want to know what they can do to be part of the solution,” said Guzman.
Through all this, the speaker was able to inform attendees on sensitive topics that are hard to deal with for most people.
Their mission is dedicated to creating a more gender-equal environment on campus and educating peers, disregarding anyone's background.
“Within the club, people of all genders are allowed to join and hold leadership positions. It is important because you can’t create change surrounding women's rights without the participation of men,” said Howell.
Her reasons for creating the club stemmed from her own experiences as a woman.
“For one, being someone who identifies as female, I have experienced misogyny at the hands of the patriarchy, which is something all women can, unfortunately, relate to,” said Howell. “I wanted to create a space on campus where people could help to cultivate change and spread awareness not only about women’s rights but about human rights as well.”
Negrete shines a bright light to the club with her positive attitude.
“What inspired me to join the club was to connect with my friends every Thursday and meet new people. I hope that my participation will provide a welcoming club,” said Negrete.
Despite the club having great positive support and feedback from campus, the club struggles with the stigma and misconception of the ideology of feminism.
Misconceptions often arise regarding the club that they restrict members, however, Goguen invites all interested to join the club.
“(We might be seen as a club that says) ‘We only allow women to join our club feminism is only for women.’ It very much is not! People from all walks of life, any gender and any orientation can be feminists,” said Goguen.
Along with Howell's objectives, she hopes to break the stigma that feminism has.
“One common misconception is that feminism is for white women only. This is so untrue because feminism is not feminism unless it is intersectional. I addressed this within the club by making the club board up of people from several different backgrounds and different identities. On the board, we have people who are transgender, other LGBTQ-identifying individuals, people who are Latinx, etc.,” said Howell.
Kurzawa was approached to advise the club as she too resonates with the movement.
“I try to be as heavily involved as possible in the club as (their) focus is very important to me,” said Kurzawa. “I also feel very motivated by the students themselves who are always thinking of new ways to support women in the community.”
The Feminist Club focuses on the principles of feminism, advocating for individuals who identify as women. The club board consists of President Mia Howell, 10, Vice President Emily Goguen, 12, Treasurer Alexandra Silva, 10, Secretary Jisela Negrete, 10, and adviser, English teacher Theresa Kurzawa.
Recently, the club hosted a menstrual product drive, with a total of 32 boxes of pads and 52 boxes of tampons donated. From all the donations, 1544 hygiene kits were able to be created and distributed to Next Door Solutions, a non-profit organization that houses domestic violence survivors. This fundraiser was a prime example of the club's mission in action. In the past month, Karinah Guzman, a speaker from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the nation's largest Anti-Sexual organization, and the ROAR MVMT.
“On event day, we began a dialogue and answered some questions from students. It was so encouraging to see that not only are Pioneer students acutely (were) aware that sexual violence is a problem, but they also want to know what they can do to be part of the solution,” said Guzman.
Through all this, the speaker was able to inform attendees on sensitive topics that are hard to deal with for most people.
Their mission is dedicated to creating a more gender-equal environment on campus and educating peers, disregarding anyone's background.
“Within the club, people of all genders are allowed to join and hold leadership positions. It is important because you can’t create change surrounding women's rights without the participation of men,” said Howell.
Her reasons for creating the club stemmed from her own experiences as a woman.
“For one, being someone who identifies as female, I have experienced misogyny at the hands of the patriarchy, which is something all women can, unfortunately, relate to,” said Howell. “I wanted to create a space on campus where people could help to cultivate change and spread awareness not only about women’s rights but about human rights as well.”
Negrete shines a bright light to the club with her positive attitude.
“What inspired me to join the club was to connect with my friends every Thursday and meet new people. I hope that my participation will provide a welcoming club,” said Negrete.
Despite the club having great positive support and feedback from campus, the club struggles with the stigma and misconception of the ideology of feminism.
Misconceptions often arise regarding the club that they restrict members, however, Goguen invites all interested to join the club.
“(We might be seen as a club that says) ‘We only allow women to join our club feminism is only for women.’ It very much is not! People from all walks of life, any gender and any orientation can be feminists,” said Goguen.
Along with Howell's objectives, she hopes to break the stigma that feminism has.
“One common misconception is that feminism is for white women only. This is so untrue because feminism is not feminism unless it is intersectional. I addressed this within the club by making the club board up of people from several different backgrounds and different identities. On the board, we have people who are transgender, other LGBTQ-identifying individuals, people who are Latinx, etc.,” said Howell.
Kurzawa was approached to advise the club as she too resonates with the movement.
“I try to be as heavily involved as possible in the club as (their) focus is very important to me,” said Kurzawa. “I also feel very motivated by the students themselves who are always thinking of new ways to support women in the community.”