Dave Condit

In order to draw attention to people with different social identities and fight oppression, senior Risa Moorehead attends several Social Justice clubs both in and out of school.

“I’m in a lot of social justice clubs that focus on people with all different types of social identities including race, gender, sexual orientation and anything involving personal identity. We concentrate on how to react to oppression and facilitate activities relating to personal experiences,” Moorehead said.

Moorehead is in charge of a club at school called Leadership which pertains to African American students and focuses on nonviolent communication.

“Throughout my life, I’ve faced a lot of oppression and injustice due to both my race and sexual orientation. I got sick of a lot of the hatred and ignorance, so I decided to be motivated and do something powerful,” Moorehead said.

Before Moorehead came to Parkway West, she attended a school with predominantly African American students.

“The transition to West was really hard for me because of my multiracial heritage, and I used to handle situations a lot more violently and ignorantly. The Social Justice clubs have changed my life by opening new doors to my actual social identity, being multiracial and bisexual. It has also taught me important leadership skills, and I’ve learned a lot about who I am in the world,” Moorehead said.

By spending time with others in her club, Moorehead has gained more knowledge on social problems like racism and oppression.

“People in the Social Justice clubs are often very competitive, and some have stronger ideas than others. I’m one of the stronger participants because I’m in so many of these clubs. Some people only focus on the topics that pertain to them, and I sometimes do, too,” Moorehead said. “But we all work together as a team. You know the saying ‘two heads are better than one’? Well, imagine hundreds of us.”