By Max Zaninovich, Staff Writer
After the murder of George Floyd, the world was lit ablaze with an international social justice movement that could rival the movement of the 60s. People took to the streets to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the current situation in America in a series of protests in many cities and towns across America. Even in our small town of Millbrae, there were protests for Social Justice in June and September after the killings of George Floyd and Jacob Blake. With the social justice movement not showing any signs of slowing down, members of the Millbrae community desired to join the cause and created the Students for Social Justice Club at Mills High School. The club’s goal is to raise awareness and promote anti-racist behavior through education, exposure, and empowerment.
During the organization of the June Black Lives Matter march, Mills High School parent Karen Chin was introduced to Mills Alumni Stephanie Wong and Celeste Henry. Chin recalls the conversation where she discussed the idea of a new club with Stephanie and she introduced her to Ms. Dove and current Mills students and sisters Katelyn & Lillian Chang. Former Mills students Celeste Henry (‘19), Herman Peng (‘18), and Stephanie Wong (‘19) were also involved in discussions upon creation of the club. Henry mentions that, “While Mills is a great school, it’s a place that needs some change, and I figured since I had just recently graduated, I thought it was a great place to start my activism.” Club advisor Ms. Dove feels that, “For the last couple of years I have wanted to get involved more in activism, and after the recents deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and now Jacob Blake, I couldn’t just stand idly by anymore.” Current Mills students in the club include Lillian Chang (12), and Katelyn Chang (10) as well as Ann Dang (10). Their collective goal is “to raise awareness and promote anti-racist behavior through education exposure and empowerment.”
The club’s most current project, as reported by Chin, is developing a survey to gauge the racial inclusivity at Mills. The survey will be posted in a couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for it and make sure to fill it out. The upcoming goals for the club include continuing to have meetings every Friday, helping organize a town hall for the Millbrae School District, and planning the establishment of a sister school relationship with Berkeley High School. In a typical cub meeting, discussions are held on “issues impacting students at Mills and in Millbrae at large. We also converse over our goals for helping to end racial inequality. We love to exchange ideas like kayaking trips, gaming tournaments, or Mock Stock challenges with Black and Latinx students as well as ideas on how we can make positive change at Mills and in the community.”
The club is fervently fighting for social justice for all people, but specifically for heavily oppressed minorities in America. They are looking for new members to help them in their fight to make change. You can join by contacting anybody on the team, talking to Karen Chin, or attending a club meeting. The first official club meeting will be held at the end of September, but new members are always encouraged to join anytime. Students can follow their Instagram (@mills.sfs) to be kept up to date with club meetings, activities, and events. The Thunderbolt commends these students for tackling social justice issues and encourages other students to get involved in any way that they can.
