Agents of Change, H-F’s new social justice club, had its first meeting after school on Feb. 24. The first meeting was a success with over 10 students in attendance. 

H-F English teacher Catherine Ross-Cook is the founder of the new club. The club was founded to raise student awareness about relevant, cultural and social issues within and beyond the community. The club encourages students to voice their opinions and provides young adults with a platform for change and action, through justice and resistance education, empowerment, consciousness raising and activism.

“Agents of Change was born out of a desire for students to have opportunities to dismantle the walls of oppression that they see inside and outside of the classroom,” Ross-Cook said. “Our students are stakeholders in not only their educational processes, but also the development of their community. I wanted to offer a platform from which they can speak to issues of ableism, racism, xenophobia, and every other “isms” and “phobias” that cast a shadow over our society. Furthermore, I wanted students to have a safe space for sharing their authentic selves, learning how to embrace narratives that are unlike their own, and finding the power of solidarity through resistance education and activism.”

Alongside founder Mrs. Ross-Cook anticipation for the club’s future, the members were all excited to be involved as well. 

“The first meeting went better than I could’ve imagined,” said new member Nia James. “It was something so comforting about hearing other girls’ experiences and thoughts as well as being able to express my own.”

New member Kyla Emory expressed her excitement about the new club mission to raise social awareness. 

“I am extremely excited to raise awareness about important social issues for the betterment of our community, take action against the injustices of our society, and ultimately be a part of something bigger than myself,” said Emory.

The club has many aspirations for the future. They wish to make an impact on both the member’s outlook on life, as well as make a difference in the community around them.

“My greatest goal is for Agents of Change to be ‘boots on the ground’ and show our community that young people are ready to ‘walk the talk,’ said Ross-Cook. “I would like to see the club crafting multiple representations of student voice, whether it be through partnering with community organizations to create an HF student branch of the Black Lives Matter movement, or student-created not-for-profit organizations focused on climate change and intersectionality.”

The club is off to a great start, and is looking forward to continuing to make a change throughout society. Ross-Cook is proud of the progress they have already made and is happy to see what the students will do in the future.

“Our members have depthless passion and a plethora of social activism interests,” Said Ross-Cook. “They will be leading the charge in deciding how, why, and where they want to create change. We will be honing our ideas, conducting research, performing swot analysis, creating action plans and remembering that evoking change means avoiding being a jack of all trades and a master of none. My hope is that we will be a centered, unified, and passionate body of visionaries.”