Women from all around the globe have been persistently campaigning on behalf of women’s equal rights, giving young women a passion to pursue as they grow older, and a sense of empowerment to embrace. The Half the Sky club at Mission Hills is dedicated to contributing to and opening up the worldwide conversations about feminism.

Co-presidents Ria Rao and Misa Bramble make sure to tackle many different issues within the world concerning feminism, such as domestic abuse, sexual harassment, intersectionality, body image, gender stereotypes, discrimination, and more.

“Feminism and this club [are] important to me because I want to create a safe and positive space for people to discuss their own experiences, and to hopefully fight against the misogyny that is so rampant in our society today,” junior Ria Rao said.

Feminists around the world share the same objective; bring change to the world. However, one goal of the club is to ensure the representation of women in a closer proximity. Feminism having perspicuous representation in the school is a primary concern.

“I would change some of the structures [ingrained] in our school that continue to target women; like dress codes… Some events like fundraisers for women’s shelters, breast cancer awareness week, or about feminism as a whole would help bring awareness to discrimination against women too,” Rao said.

The club also believes that the adults on campus could also support the active pursuit of equal rights for women.

“I think some teachers treat [feminism] as taboo but others don’t… I think that some teachers steer away from controversial topics in classrooms because they want to be seen as unbiased and they don’t want fights to break out amongst students. So, they treat topics that need to be discussed in a safe and controlled environment as taboo because they may not want to deal with the backlash or kids arguing with one another,” junior Misa Bramble said.

Throughout the school, the club has gained a significant amount of positive acclamations from students and teachers. The club members are constantly praising and advocating for the club to others.

“I would recommend joining Half the Sky [because] it is a safe space for everyone wanting to talk about different issues, and is a great environment to educate you more on topics on women’s rights,” freshman Deanna Vuong said.

The Half the Sky club has made it possible for Grizzlies to have their voice heard. As a result of their guidance, it has been easier for students to connect with each other and further educate themselves on women’s rights and feminism.