Springbrook High School has recently become part of the remarkable feminist movement that is taking the world by storm. The “Order of the Feminist” is one of the newest clubs at the school, and offers many different ways for students to learn about feminism. Similar to another “Feminist Club” at Richard Montgomery High School, the “Order of the Feminist” works to discuss, raise awareness, and respond to gender inequality and the mistreatment of women.
After the violent rape and murder of a woman in New Delhi, “India’s Daughter,” a film documenting the tragic story, was released and then banned in India. Films such as these raise awareness about the mistreatment of women all over the world, but governments still fail to take action. This is where local groups such as the “Order of the Feminist” come into play.
Annika Norris, an 11th grade student at Springbrook, started the “Order of the Feminist” with the goal of raising awareness about gender inequality. The club contains four major divisions: researching, fundraising, volunteering, and advocacy. The researching and advocacy divisions work to gather information and statistics pertaining to issues such as the wage gap, and also raise awareness in the school community. Fundraising and volunteering members work to organize support for specific programs associated with the club. Each of the divisions has separate goals that ultimately contribute to the overall target of equal rights and status for women.
In the United States, the best environment for pay equity is Washington D.C., where women are paid 91 percent of what men are paid. The worst location on the other hand is Louisiana, where women make only 66 percent of what men in the same position make. The large wage gap that is present even in our nation’s capital does not set a good standard for the rest of the country. This gap is even larger for women of ethnic minorities and only grows with age.
Problems such as these have motivated the students at Springbrook to participate in projects that highlight feminist goals or concerns. According to SGA President Alex Mejia, “one project is a bake sale to raise money for a rape victims hotline, one is to get volunteers at a women’s shelter, another is to educate the group as a whole, and another is to make consent posters around prom time. Although currently the group, which features many students both male and female, is under a time crunch, it plans on increasing activity over the summer and during the next school year.”
The “Order of the Feminist” and its members are attempting to make a difference in our community by raising awareness about the inequality that women face. The students of MCPS are working all over the county to help women achieve the equality and respect they deserve.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Sindhu Iyer