Activism Club seeks to create safe discussion space
PHOTO: Activism Club holds meetings on Fridays in P-25.
By Stella Maze,
BlueDevilHUB Staff–
Activism Club is a student-run club that focuses on Davis High’s youth engagement in current events regarding a variety of topics.
The club was created at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year with the goal of creating a space for open discussion about any form of injustice.
Activism Club President, junior Emily Haws, said that George Floyd’s death in May of 2020 spurred conversation in her household. That summer, her sister, Katrina Haws, took an online anti-racism course that led to further education and discussion.
As the topics spread from racism to feminism to climate justice, the Haws sisters decided to create a formal club where they could have recurring and evolving dialogue about all of these issues.
Senior Luca Maes, a consistent Activism Club member, appreciated the wide variety of current events covered in the club. “I was able to make connections between all of the social justice issues” Maes said.
During the 2020-2021 online school year, Activism Club held weekly Zoom meetings that took place every Friday after school.
Meeting agendas usually occurred in three sections. First, information was presented to the group by a club member or officer on a current event. Then, the group would have a comprehensive discussion processing and responding to the news.
The last portion of time was spent distributing and utilizing resources that allowed club members to act upon the information.
As Activism Club begins to plan and adjust to in-person meetings this school year, their challenge lies within maintaining an inclusive environment conducive to effective activism while adapting to a new setting.
“I hope we can take more action together … [and] include more people with diverse opinions and experiences” Haws said.
Similarly, the club’s Vice President, junior Olivia Gonzalez hopes to grow the club this year. “A lot of people view people in activism clubs as … kind of too outspoken or [think they] should just calm down … but everyone should be in activism” Gonzalez said.
