SHS’s Newest Club: The Anti-Racism Club

This year more than ever, there has been a massive push for social justice and change in communities across the country. In our own town of Scituate, Massachusetts, two Scituate High School students have decided to take some matters into their own hands. 

Sarah Weinberg and Ira Zhusti, two juniors at Scituate High School, were compelled to form a club focused on educating the members as well as the students and the community on issues like racism and how to be anti-racist. With the recent controversies following acts of racism and exclusion amongst students at Scituate High School, Weinberg and Zhusti decided it was time to get students involved with ensuring these incidents become lessons for all grades to learn from. Since the club is run mainly on student involvement and voices, the high school administration is minimally involved with the goals, plans, or general atmosphere of the club. 

“Administration has extremely limited involvement in the club, in an effort to keep this club student-run to maximize creative ideas and freedoms,” says Weinberg, who is Vice-President of the Anti-Racism Club. “We have one staff member present who gives advice on how to run and start a club.” 

Allowing club members to have an open conversation with each other without the pressures that come with the presence of staff or administration has proven to be a great option for kids to develop honest opinions. There seems to be a push for change in our youth now more than ever–not just at Scituate High but in our country. Since the beginning of the summer when the need for the Black Lives Matter movement heightened with the death of civilian George Floyd, people across the country have been encouraging the youth of today to continue to stand up for what they believe. The encouragement toward youth to uphold their involvement has proudly been echoed in our school. 

As a team, Weinberg and Zhusti both pushed for student input and advocacy in all aspects of the club. Multiple groups within the organization have had individual topics to focus on and spread awareness. For example, Zhusti was extremely proud of the group that was in charge of putting cultural appropriation posters up before Halloween that highlighted “some do’s and don’ts of choosing a costume.” As part of the club, they wanted to remind their peers of how much students truly impact others in order to learn from mistakes and prompt growth in our day-to-day lives. 

“I think that students recognize that the incidents of racism are not just about hate or ignorance, they’re about human rights,” says SHS history teacher Kristen Emerson, facilitator for the Amnesty International club. This club deals with similar issues regarding race and human rights violations across the world and encourages SHS students to get involved. The recent events in our school that shocked students and staff alike didn’t just inspire Weinberg and Zhusti to make a group defending one specific group of people–they created the group to push for equality amongst all students. 

“There needs to be greater outreach in the community…I can talk in here until I’m blue in the face about what needs to be done, but unless it’s coming from the community as well, it has no bearing,” says Emerson. By kickstarting possibly uncomfortable conversations between students and also their families, this new addition to SHS’s clubs will surely stir up involvement and the attention of our surrounding community to create positive change. 

The Anti-Racism Club at SHS is just at the starting line. Weinberg and Zhusti hope their new club will have an impact on all SHS students and make a lasting difference as time goes on.