After three years of mustering up the courage, I finally had the guts to propose the idea of a Social Justice Club for our school this year. I am still a little shocked by all of the responsibilities that came with it but I am beyond excited by what we can accomplish through this outlet. Even before coming to high school I desperately wanted a place where I can be amongst others who were motivated to make a difference in our communities. A place where we can brainstorm ideas, discuss problems and what we can do to help, as well as have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact. Well, I am really glad to say that starting this year, CSIHS finally has a club dedicated to this purpose!
What finally pushed me to make SJC this year was my extraordinary time in Beijing over the summer. I was a part of the Americans Promoting Students Abroad (APSA) program which allowed me to experience life as a college student in China for one month. Along with seeing the wonders of Beijing — from the culture, people, architecture, language, and even food — my eyes were also opened to seeing the stark differences within our communities. These differences weren't necessarily negative, most were actually quite amazing, but I did see aspects that reflected the injustices people faced on a daily basis.
From dividing social classes, racism, sexism, poor working conditions, overbearing social pressure on youth, rural-urban divides, colorism, environmental issues, and even censorship (to name a few), I was shown just how our privileges blind us from recognizing these global issues. We become heavily focused on bettering our lives that we often forget to open our arms and help those who are not even given the basic human rights that we take for granted sometimes.
With this and my own experiences as an immigrant woman of color, I felt that it was necessary to make a club that would focus on improving social issues throughout our world by first making changes within our own community.
We are only high school students but our audacity to embark on a journey to improve the world in which we share with people of all backgrounds shows that we have the motivation to truly make a difference. Even if what we do helps just a few people, it only takes a pebble to leave a ripple in the great ocean.
I hope that our club continues to grow and work towards reaching out to more people. We still have a lot to work on— as this is our first year— but I know that with time and more effort, we can truly accomplish our goals.
