By Marieliz Cruz
Warning: The following article contains sensitive content that might be upsetting for some of our readers. When I ask myself why being a teenager is so hard, especially as a young woman, there are so many life-changing struggles to consider that are simply a product of the social constructs built around being feminine. It’s expected of you to be perfect. To have a slim figure, to be curvy yet not ‘fat', and to know how to humble yourself and know your place in society. Despite how much you conform to society’s idea of being an ideal woman, it’s still just as difficult to be considered enough to receive recognition for your actions and accomplishments, and even harder to be looked at as a real person. It's hard enough that students have to go to school and have to deal with this on a daily basis while simultaneously trying to be a human with hopes and aspirations. Sometimes our peers (no matter how alike they are to us) even joke about our struggles and how we were perceived in society, maintaining an ongoing cycle of misogyny and perpetuating sexist stereotypes. When it’s surprising to a guy that a woman listens to a certain music artist or has a certain hobby, it’s pretty obvious that our male classmates are implicitly (or explicitly) biased against us. Women, or any gender in general, shouldn’t be uncomfortable or feel unsafe to come to school because of our peers. We are enough, and at the very least worthy of respect. It doesn't matter what people think or say this is what us girls feel on a daily basis. An incredible work of art that highlights gender inequality is a piece by Finley Brightwell, an award winning youth poet. No one should be feeling uncomfortable based on their gender in school or out of school. This is the reality of things. There’s even injustice in dress codes across the country where the rules are more strict towards girls. How are girls distracting to anyone if we're just trying to learn? The audacity of these rule makers who even came up with these ideas years ago to say we’re so distracting that you have to call a parent or guardian so we can change when you are the one distracting everyone by telling me or anyone to change is just not fair in my opinion. Phrases like “It’s a Man’s World” and “Boys will be boys'' are harmful and perpetuate inequality. I constantly see girls laugh something off when a boy says something inappropriate. At this point she is not laughing because it’s funny, she just doesn’t know what to say when someone is making her uncomfortable. Well now we go to school and learn to not take mistreatment, but that doesn’t mean everything is alright. There are women who are even scared to get out of their house. That should not be the case, we should not feel scared. My point is to encourage everyone to talk about topics like these so students understand and are able to educate themselves. This is not something to take lightly so please if you see a girl or any gender uncomfortable at school or anywhere please don't stay quiet. Stand up for them. There is this saying, “Boys will be boys” but here is the thing: Girls will be women, and boys will grow into men so I'll let you think about that. It’s all of our jobs to do our part in making sure when people grow up, they are educated on how to be respectful to people of any gender.
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By Caylee Brown As March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month in America, understanding the history behind both what America has done for women and what women have done for America plays a pivotal role in modern day feminism and improving the treatment of feminine people so society can progress further. Understanding gender equality activism goes beyond things like the problematic suffragette movements of the 1920’s, and past the average person’s surface level understanding of how sexist stereotypes are perpetuated constantly in today’s society. Women’s History Month, above all things, is a month for acknowledging and attempting to rid society of the misogynistic qualities embedded in it. Much like Black History Month, Women’s History Month was once known as Women’s History Week. First celebrated on a local level at Santa Rosa, California, women’s history was only federally observed by the government when Congress designated the week of March 7th, 1982, to be a week for celebrating the contributions to society that some women made when they were occupying relatively oppressive positions, like being homemakers and looking after children. In 1987, the week of women’s history received an upgrade, and was now federally observed in March as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month is important to women and non-women alike because it opens the opportunity to educate people about pressing issues in our society that affect women (and sometimes even other genders as a result). By teaching the people around us about inventors who were women, or women who forever changed the gender norm, it encourages and makes way for an otherwise tough talk in our society that some people avoid altogether. Albeit confusing and sometimes difficult to execute/navigate properly, educating youth about things like the gender wage gap ultimately make it easier to combat sexism in society. If our peers are already familiar with the concept of women being disadvantaged by their gender identity, especially if they’re queer or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), it becomes way easier to have a less taboo talk about equalizing the way we perceive gender, masculinity compared to femininity, and coming up with a solution to these pressing issues. As March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month in America, understanding the history behind both what America has done for women and what women have done for America plays a pivotal role in modern day feminism and improving the treatment of feminine people so society can progress further. Understanding gender equality activism goes beyond things like the problematic suffragette movements of the 1920’s, and past the average person’s surface level understanding of how sexist stereotypes are perpetuated constantly in today’s society. Women’s History Month, above all things, is a month for acknowledging and attempting to rid society of the misogynistic qualities embedded in it. Much like Black History Month, Women’s History Month was once known as Women’s History Week. First celebrated on a local level at Santa Rosa, California, women’s history was only federally observed by the government when Congress designated the week of March 7th, 1982, to be a week for celebrating the contributions to society that some women made when they were occupying relatively oppressive positions, like being homemakers and looking after children. In 1987, the week of women’s history received an upgrade, and was now federally observed in March as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month is important to women and non-women alike because it opens the opportunity to educate people about pressing issues in our society that affect women (and sometimes even other genders as a result). By teaching the people around us about inventors who were women, or women who forever changed the gender norm, it encourages and makes way for an otherwise tough talk in our society that some people avoid altogether. Albeit confusing and sometimes difficult to execute/navigate properly, educating youth about things like the gender wage gap ultimately make it easier to combat sexism in society. If our peers are already familiar with the concept of women being disadvantaged by their gender identity, especially if they’re queer or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), it becomes way easier to have a less taboo talk about equalizing the way we perceive gender, masculinity compared to femininity, and coming up with a solution to these pressing issues. Furthermore, observing/celebrating Women’s History Month and acknowledging the agendas and efforts of gender equality activism can also be valuable when looking through the lens of other marginalized communities that are ultimately affected by similar problems. By recognizing the oppressiveness of sexism that disproportionately affects things like income gaps, societal standards, and how femininity is interpreted and objectified, activists have easier access to discussing and combating problems within their historically disenfranchised communities that need the support by using feminism (a widely accepted movement) as a lead in to other issues, like homophobia and racism. Although gender equality is widely accepted and acknowledged among most people, even if not in a positive light, being respectful to women/feminine people is a crucial part of Women’s History Month and observing the month as an educational opportunity to learn more about how sexism has affected women. Without the women in your life, you definitely wouldn’t exist, nor would you know what a dishwasher is (invented by Josephine Cochran)… or how to escape a fire in a building with multiple floors (thanks to Anna Connelly). My point is, make sure you put effort into recognizing how powerful all women are, even if just withstanding the day to day misogyny most of them face (because, as much as it’s minimized, it’s still a struggle). Happy Women’s History Month! By Emma Garceau
Have you ever wondered what the purpose of the various bulletin boards around Washington is for this semester? There is a lot of thought and execution that goes into these boards that help represent the theme of our school. The inspiration behind all these boards is clear. Our Global Studies pride is displayed across our school. Each board has their own distinct features that teaches, inspires, and communicates the World Continent assigned to each cluster. Check out each team’s boards. You can find one on South America, Europe, Asia, Australia/Oceania, and Africa! Mrs. Deane said, “Teams were given creative freedom to design the boards as they saw fit, but could have selected elements of culture/history/facts about the continent.” Please check out one or all these boards around our school. Teams 1 and 9 did South America, Teams 2 and 6 did Europe, Teams 3 and 4 did Asia, Teams 5 and 7 did Australia/Oceania, Teams 8 and Steps did Africa. Even though teams had different countries, everyone worked hard as a school to represent our one Earth. Think about something you learned from a board, or if there is an experience you had from one of the countries that you can relate to. Thanks to the many teachers and students that put time and effort into these boards to help us develop our understanding of World Continents. By Caylee Brown
With the recent implementation of gender neutral bathrooms and pro-LGBTQ+ bulletin boards around the school, Washington’s LGBTQ+ Alliance Club, run by Mr. Gorski, has been recognized for its crucial changes and contributions that have drastically (and undeniably controversially) changed the environment and attitude toward the LGBTQ+ community at our school. Aiming to be more inclusive toward students with varying gender identities and sexual orientations is already a fundamental (and sometimes shied-away from) aspect of unifying any student body, and the Alliance Club is already taken steps to eliminate harmful factors like transphobia that negatively affect our community when it comes to bathrooms. The Alliance Club has also implemented much more covert methods of enhancing LGBTQ+ acceptance that tend to stay within the club but have a positive effect on all members of our community school and city wide, whether we tend to need the extra care or not. Paying careful attention to and shedding light on issues like how healthcare professionals treat members of the trans community, and discussing the process or the inability to/of coming out as queer or trans to one’s guardian are extremely beneficial to their causes. These conversations make a more open-minded society that is able to accept people regardless of their identity. So far, the Alliance Club is succeeding in its goal to make Washington a better place for those with diverse identities and experiences. Inclusivity is an extremely important contribution and step forward to equality. Hopefully their actions of today will positively impact society when preparing for tomorrow and the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth. By Leo Martinez The first fact that might surprise any of our readers is that St. Patrick was not from Ireland. He was born in Britain and was the son of a Christian deacon. However, it is thought that his father only chose this profession due to tax purposes and therefore his family was not as religious as many believed. At the age of 16, St. Patrick was taken as a prisoner by the Irish Raiders. He remained in captivity for six years. While in captivity he was kept away from society and worked as a shepherd. It is during this time that he found comfort in religion. This led to him becoming a devout Christian. St. Patrick made it a passion to convert the Irish into Christians. St. Patrick escaped Ireland on a boat when (legend has it) he claimed he was led to by the voices he heard, presumably the voice of his God. He returned to Britain shortly after, however was soon captured again for a short time and then reunited with his family. St. Patrick became a missionary. Although he wasn’t initially welcomed in Ireland, he became an important figure in Ireland, leading causes for women, the poor and slaves. He also enriched their learning by establishing monasteries. Through all his hard work and dedication St. Patrick is now credited with influencing Ireland’s culture and history. This is why Ireland and several other countries celebrate St. Patrick on March 17th of every year. |
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