Nina Burik
The coming of a new school year means the return of your favorite clubs, equipped with new club heads and new ideas. Wondering what LAW (Latin’s Alliance for Women) will look like this year? The new heads, Lulu Ruggiero, Maya Passman, Lily Weaver, and Emily Breitenecker, already have plans to “make it a place where everyone feels welcomed.” This means that as Latin prioritizes “togetherness,” LAW will be focused on inclusion this year. Passman said, “I hope to accomplish this by doing joint meetings with every affinity group, in order to talk about how affinities and gender intersect.” In an effort to make LAW a more all-encompassing and relevant club for all of students, you can expect to see many collaborations with other groups in which resemblance can be found. The new heads feel that every student, regardless of “race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, religion, political belief” should have a place in a LAW meeting.
With a newfound emphasis on allyship, the heads hope to maintain and expand upon the traditions of LAW from previous years. Passman was excited to share her desire to add a new method for fundraising to the annual period product drive. She said, “maybe we will sell stickers plus homemade crafts made by members of LAW to promote our club member’s awesome hobbies and skills.” This goal reinforces the club’s themes of fellowship mentioned earlier, as well. There will be new additions to pre-existing practices like this, however, anticipate the introduction of new practices entirely, as well. The heads are aiming to lead discussions and exercises that not only evoke thought, but evoke change. Passman expressed her aspirations “to show women in school that being a feminist isn’t something you turn on and off, but something you practice in your daily life.”
Perhaps this was the rationale behind the creation of the club’s new Instagram account. A social media platform like this could allow for LAW to reach students that do not attend meetings, therefore arming the heads with a greater understanding of life at Latin in terms of gender roles, equity, etc. that applies to a wider range of students. This new point of access has the potential to ask LAW members poll questions, offering data that provides a more extensive comprehension of each other’s lived experiences. It could even be used for the simple purpose of spreading messages of empowerment to its followers. Regardless of its utilization, seeing the username @latinsallianceforwomen while scrolling through Instagram is sure to subconsciously act as a reminder to celebrate such an affinity, even in daily life.
In short, LAW will certainly assume a position of solidarity throughout the school and innovation within the club this year by starting the conversation about LAW’s relationship to all other aspects of Latin. The heads also intend on keeping its doors open to every member of the Latin community, highlighting that “LAW isn’t for one type of person, it isn’t even just for women, everyone can benefit from coming.”