Today: Mar 28, 2024

SISTAS, a club that promotes social justice values

Jessica GuerrucciReporter

Through promoting social justice and empowering women, Sisters In Schools Together Achieving Success has brought students together and let them know that no matter what they face, they are not alone.

SISTAS is a club that promotes female empowerment, diversity and inclusion by educating students on minority female culture. The club meets on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. in ASC 309.

Mawuena Bruce, a public health and event management major who handles public relations for the club, said all their meetings are discussion-based and cover a wide range of topics.

“We’ve had discussions on periods, discussions on relationships, how to assert yourself in the workplace, how women should stop saying the word ‘sorry’- things like that,” said Bruce.

Much like the club’s name, Bruce said the club is like a sisterhood.

Camryn Brown, a psychology major and also club secretary, said SISTAS not only brings girls together in a place where  they can feel safe talking to each other, but anyone else who is interested is welcome as well.

“We try to reach out and get men as our allies, and we want them to come to our meetings and we want to make females on this campus feel comfortable, feel empowered, stay in school outside of the problems that they face, kind of let them know they’re not alone,” said Brown.

How the club also touches on social justice. For example, Bruce said they had a meeting where they expressed the importance of voting in smaller elections instead of just the presidential elections.

“We try to incorporate social justice into all our meetings,” said Bruce.

“Every meeting we start, we let people know this is a safe place and if you feel uncomfortable at any moment you can pull one of us to the side, you can leave, we won’t be offended.”

Brown said the club works with other multicultural clubs and organizations on campus, as well as their brother club, “BROS,” to put on events focusing on empowering females.

“We’ve had a couple fun events. We’ve done karaoke, we’ve done a love game show, but then there’s other events focused differently, like we did double standards with Phi Beta Sigma.”

On April 18, Brown said they have an event that is taking place called “She Speaks: Women’s Success Story” that features empowering women.

“It’s a panel discussion with professional women and the things that they face, like getting into their career, and it’s supposed to be empowering for us as students to see them and where they are now,” said Brown.

The club started in 2015, but both Brown and Bruce said they were asked to join the e-board last spring along with the club’s president, Nevoya Roberts, to revive the club after it became inactive in 2017.

“The club wasn’t active for a year, so they were looking for some people to bring the club back to life on campus and bring back that presence on campus,” said Bruce.

Overall, Bruce said, the club is about unity and bringing women together from all walks of life so they can get a perspective on the things they experience in their lives.

“We just pop up our ideas and we’re like, ‘Okay, we’re not the only ones going through this,’ or, ‘Oh, you feel like that too,’” said Bruce. “It just feels really nice to know there’s girls on campus, that even if you don’t know them, they’re still nice, they’re still willing to share.”

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