Founders of Social Justice Club, from left to right: junior Rokhaya Niang, junior Jamie Tyson, sponsor Dr. Davida Lea, junior Jordan Berry, and junior Sabah Rana.

Feminsim, colorism, racism – these are part of the many controversial issues that are discussed every week in Social Justice Club. The founders of Social Justice Club said they wanted to shed light on the many injustices in American and global systems that oppress minorities, women, and other people. The club is there to inform students of the current condition of the world today, and to bring awareness on to issues that are often overlooked.

Juniors Jordan Berry, Sabah Rana, Rokhaya Niang, and Jamie Tyson founded this organization together this year. Niang stated that the purpose of this club was for students to “understand the current state of the world as it relates to injustices faced by people who are not in positions of power.”

“In addition to understanding,” she said, “we also want to work to help deconstruct the systems of oppression that hold control over today’s society as well as those of the past.”

Some topics of discussion include “institutional disadvantages such as racism, sexism, and many more,” Tyson said. “Many social issues in our society such as cultural appropriation, white supremacy and privilege, LGBTQ issues, etc. require awareness, and each week we dive further into specific issues and recognitions among the categories.”  

Many topics discussed in this club are content-sensitive, such as abortion, rape, and human trafficking. Sensitive material such as these can trigger emotional responses from the students, or set off heated controversy if approached the wrong way. To avoid this, Niang said that they usually start by “making sure everything is defined, so everyone knows what [the issue] is, and then we begin the discussion.” “We also make sure to give a disclaimer of some sort,” Berry added, “so people know what we’ll be talking about [in order] to avoid triggers.”

Often on social media, people claim that activists are too aggressive or do too much. The Social Justice club refutes the argument that some people make against activists.

“Some people may say that all we’re doing is getting together to talk about issues, but we’re actually making a difference,” stated Berry. “We definitely refute this because we’re doing our best to get involved.”

Tyson said she agrees wholeheartedly. “Some criticisms may come from more conservative individuals who hold conflicting views on our discussions. We refute this with the main proponent of our club – social justice – meaning equality for all no matter what race, gender, sexuality, etc. Those who hold extremely traditional’ values, which may include various forms of hate such as homophobia, transphobia and racism, are suggested to not participate in the club as we only promote equality for all”

The members of this club have various reasons for joining. Some feel a sense of responsibility to bring awareness to the community. Vivian Nguyen, a sophomore, said that she joined because she feels that are “a lot of problems with the world, and it’s important to bring awareness to them all.” “People don’t know the full nature of what’s wrong with humanity, and bringing awareness to small communities will help spread awareness to larger communities.” Others just wanted to spread love and positivity. In order to do that, “you have to be educated on what’s going on in the world,” said senior Gerald Barillas.

The members said they have many plans with getting involved in the student body, and in the community as a whole. As of right now, members of this club are planning a fundraiser to donate feminine hygiene products and other necessities to a local women’s shelter. Other activities planned include holding fun after-school events, field trips, and participating in charity drives and various organizations for the less fortunate.

Social justice club is held every Tuesday from 3:30-4:30 after-school in Room 011.