"Strides" 2022: Together We Rise by Kathleen Lewis

Together We Rise

Strides

Together, we rise

A literary & arts magazine created in celebration of Women’s History Month 2022 All work created by students of Gulliver Preparatory School

Strides 2022

“

Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise.

~ Maya Angelou

cover art by Margaret Miao

Together We Rise

Contents

Our leaders Our connections Our voices

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Why Strides?

Dear Raider Community, As we reflect on the last year and the global shifts prompted by the pandemic, we brought back “Strides” to not only highlight and amplify recent advancements towards women’s rights, but also to shed light on the obstacles and discrepancies that are still present in our society today. We find that the only way to truly “rise” above these challenges is to do it as a community. This year’s theme, “Together, We Rise”, is adapted from the international Women’s History Month 2022 theme: “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope”. The post-pandemic world has initiated a new level of community and an unprecedented pivot towards the issues that we aim to convey through this magazine. Since January, we have received a plethora of beautiful prose and art underscoring societal gaps relative to gender equality that weigh on students’ hearts. Between discrimination in sports, unrealistic body standards, the true meaning of “feminity”, and workplace standards, each piece impactfully harps upon subjects that have significant value to our generation. It is with sincere appreciation that we hope these pieces prompt you to reflect on how you can make a “stride” of your own. We’d like to thank Maegan Azpiazu, Mrs. Artzt, the Upper School English department, and Gulliver’s Chapter of the National English Honor Society for streamlining this initiative and helping us make it a community-wide success in this second edition of Strides. Enjoy!

Natalia Lopez ‘22 Kathleen Lewis ‘22

Strides 2022

OUR LEADERS

reflections and explorations of historical and contemporary women who inspire us

Joy by Samantha Diaz

Together We Rise

my mother, my hero

by Taylor Whalen

was “too loud”, but whenever a fellow male peer would want to do the same he was called “intelligent” and “captivating.” This prejudice also translated to my athletic life. I was told I could never do sports that involved the upper body because I did not want to be too muscular. But when a boy did this, he was called fit. I struggled with my identity as a woman, as I believed that it

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I realized that there is a certain strength in a supportive sisterhood.

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I have never looked up to someone more than my mother. Throughout my childhood, my mother has spent every waking moment taking on two full-time jobs, a mother and a recruiter. But she was much more to me than that. She epitomizes a person’s ultimate grace, dignity, and composure. She is my hero. While taking on those jobs she taught me many truths of life about being a woman. Even though it comes with its troubles, it is about being independent. Every time I felt like giving up, she reminded me that women were given the pain of childbirth because they are strong. Being a woman, on the other hand, has never felt like a gift to me. Women have been marked by religion and belief as the plague of the world. A look back at our history demonstrates that women’s roles in society have progressed dramatically. But the world around me still lingered with thoughts and ideas that I was not enough or I was too much. Whenever I would want to voice my opinion, I was told I

was a sign of lowliness. It was only until the summer of high school that I realized that there is a certain strength in a supportive sisterhood. I had built up people around me who were supportive of what I did. I understood that women are all connected through the same struggles. I was allowed to embrace a side of myself that had been suppressed.

That was when I learned how to appreciate my mother and all she had done for me. Not only had she been a mother and a recruiter, she was also a mentor. She guided me through times I thought would never pass.

Strides 2022

Promised Refuge by Sofia Andrade

Together We Rise

Where is your by Anya Gruener

A question so often asked, yet so often left unanswered. When I was little I would often make up my own fairytales of where my father had gone. Whether he was deployed, or traveling, or eaten by a shark. Each posed question brought a new unraveling crazy story. Few moments in my life, I was forced to face the truth. The earliest instance I could remember was looking up at the numerous father daughter dance posters in my elementary school hallway. In the middle of the poster was a silhouette of a man holding a girl’s hand. This plain clipart brought numerous thoughts into my head, as I replaced the blank silhouette of the man holding my hand with the personas I had created. Would the silhouette be of the surfer dad, or of the dad with a genuine smile, or of the hipster dad? Anything but the truth. I was mocked when I had no one to take me but the numerous men which I had created in my imagination. My classmates would tell me about their fathers, and that made the truth hurt even

father?

more, yet each moment was grounded by a single fact. Although I had no figure except for that which was in my imagination, I had a mother. An ever-present and ever-loving mother. So the silhouette of the man on the poster was replaced by the silhouette of a woman. My mother. My mother held my hand as I wore my pink fluffy dress like that of a true princess. Although she was not a man, she was more than any of the characters which I had created in my head. My peers mocked me for having my mother take me instead of a male figure, but that did not bother me at all. I was different, and more importantly I was happy. Looking back up at the father daughter dance poster, my tears were replaced by excitement. The idea of my mother accompanying me to the dance was more than enough, even if my peers thought that a strong woman could not fill a male role. As I grew up, I learned that having a male backbone

is not a necessity, but merely a modality in society. A modality so often praised, that young women do not realize their inner-strength. I no longer hide the truth. I no longer invent fairytales of where my father has gone, instead I encourage my peers to share my imagination in another sense. I encourage others to think out of the box, because having a mother take you to the father daughter dance should make you just as proud. I still cling to the polaroid from that day, one that never developed, all that can be deciphered is the silhouette of a woman holding a girl’s hand. So when answering the question, ‘’Where is your father?’’ I choose to simply reply with the question, ‘’Who is your father?’’, because fathering and mothering is not dependent on gender, as a father can mother and a mother can father. Having a father means having someone that is there for you through thick and thin no matter what, and someone who will offer unconditional love, and that for me is my mother.

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Yell

FIRE

by Julia Bueno

One of the first things I was taught by my mother Was not take any BS from a man She’d waggle her finger at my sister and I Hands on her hips Point to my father taking a picture of a drawing my sister Had repeatedly asked him not to photograph If you say no, make sure he understands no I’d tell her of the hallmarks of growing up a girl And she’d say keep your head up A stiff upper lip Show them you mean business Even if they don’t believe you And when my sister came to me asking If men would honk at her for the rest of her life All I could do was repeat my mother’s lessons And tell her the same thing I was told That the only promise was that it would happen again I dream of a day when my mother’s stiff curriculum Fades back to the dusty pages of old histories books That it dies when it is no longer needed That all the girls who were taught to yell fire Can one day know that if they call for help Someone will answer

Together We Rise

Mother’s

Love

by Matteo Wakeman

Your courage, your compassion, and your sense of family make you who you are; There has never been a day where you have not supported me or told me I would not go far; You picked us up and held us together this past year, then we were all breaking down, distracting ourselves, or too busy shedding tears. I’m left without a doubt in my mind that you push us to be better; You are the reason this family is stronger together; You celebrate our highs and support us in our lows; Every. Single. Time. I come home and I’m welcomed by a smile that glows. If I didn’t have your presence and tutelage in my life I’d be left without a clue Without you to help me I’d also be stuck in a state of blue. I love you forever mom and will always be there by your side, The same way I turn to you, the person in which I can always confide.

Strides 2022

How a male feminist thinks

by Olivia Martin-Johnson

“I am a feminist because I believe people should be treated fairly and I recognize that people are not being treated fairly,” said high school business teacher Kamal James. Mr. James is known for confidently wearing his sweatshirt that reads, “this is what a feminist looks like.” As a business teacher, Mr. James explains that the word “businessman” is a sexist title. He says that simply being more aware of one’s language can be the first step to changing society’s mindset. For example, instead of saying businessmen one can say business leaders. Small conscience changes like this make him and his students more aware of subtle generalizations that have been nurtured into our society from birth on. Mr. James told of his twelve year old daughter while in preschool, “for Halloween, little boys arrived at school dressed as Superman, Ninja Turtle, a Plumber, or Super Mario while all the girls were dressed as princesses. How is it okay that society taught boys to be engineers, plumbers, CEOs, etc. but

we only taught girls to look pretty?” The idea of encouraging men to aim for higher goals is evident when kids get to high school, Mr. James explained. Through his experiences, he recognizes that girls are less likely to enroll in his business class as compared to boys, as attendees are usually one fifth girls. Hence the message society sends to girls from a young age. Another way to consciously change one’s sexist habits, he further explains, is to question one’s expectations. Men are less willing to be feminists due to the fact that it impedes on their self-interest. “What’s rational is at odds with what’s moral,” Mr. James recalled from a podcast he heard earlier. With this quote, Mr. James explains the perspective of men who are not feminists, “if the female gender is empowered, the male gender is at a disadvantage. Therefore, their self-interest would not be in favor if they were feminists.” Mr. James was raised in a

household with no father. His mother was given the task of providing and raising her kids as a single mom. This atmosphere prompted Mr. James to see the strength of women that many overlook. Similarly, Mr. James has been supporting his wife throughout her career. “I believe that my partner deserves the opportunity to showcase her brilliance. My role throughout my wife’s career has been to support, encourage, and bolster her and in order for me to do that, I have to be a feminist!” Moreover, Mr. James relates that being Black has helped him reflect on the inequalities faced by women. He understands the struggle of the under-represented groups. By pointing out discrimination against race, Mr. James believes it is also his responsibility to recognize other inequalities, such as gender.

Together We Rise

HOMAGE

Collage

by Elizabeth Rivabem

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” “It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I cannot afford the luxury of a closed mind.” “When women act like women, they are accused of being inferior. When women act like human beings, they are accused of behaving like men.” “The things that make us alike are stronger than the things that make us different.” “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” “Women belong in all places where decisions are made.” “We should not be ashamed of who we are.” “When the whole world is silent, Even one voice becomes powerful.” “For there is always light; if only we are brave quotes by: Enough to Maya Angelou see it. Clara Barton If only we Simon de Beauvoir are brave Jane Addams enough to Serena Williams be it.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg Marsha P. Johnson Malala Yousafzai Amanda Gorman

Strides 2022

Women’s Suffrage Movement

by Valeria Castillo

The desire to have a voice in society led to a lengthy, hard-fought movement for women. The right to vote was once an act that women a few generations ago could not enjoy. Women not only had no right to vote but they were also not considered capable of having full citizenship or full representation of themselves. These issues made women execute one of the most successful and persistent fights for democratic rights movement in the United States’ history along with the Civil. The women’s suffrage movement took its first steps in Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, feminist activists, held the First Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. Equal rights for both genders were the main goal of discussion in the convention. At the beginning of the meeting, Elizabeth Stanton gave a speech to commemorate the purpose of the assembly. We are assembled to protest against a form of government, existing without the consent

Around 12 years after the first Women’s Rights Convention, in 1861 the Civil War arrived, which paused the women’s rights movement for about four years. Women activists focused entirely on the Civil war rather than continuing scheduling meetings for the women’s rights movement because they believed it was equally To outline the denied important for slavery to be citizenship rights of women, abolish, so that the nation Stanton created the Declaration could become just for any of Sentiments which was person. Although the Civil inspired by the Declaration War stopped women’s of Independence written by suffrage for some time, the Founding Fathers. The women’s movement became Declaration of Sentiments stronger because in the included women’s grievances, year 1868, the 14th and demands, and settled an 15th amendments of the agenda for the women’s rights Constitution were ratified movement. It was presented which meant Black men at the convention where 68 had the right to vote. “Some women and 32 men signed women’s rights supporters, the declaration. Stanton’s … supported the Fourteenth manifesto furthermore called Amendment as essential to on women to fight for their guaranteeing Black equality natural rights of equality to and full citizenship, even men as citizens of the United though it was flawed in States and was the first move only applying voting rights closer to reaching women’s to males”. Nevertheless, this objective around the nation. inspired women to believe it of the governed—to declare our right to be free as man is free, to be represented in the government which we are taxed to support, to have such disgraceful laws as give man the power to chastise and imprison his wife, to take the wages which she earns, the property which she inherits, and, in case of separation, the children of her love.

Together We Rise was their chance to push for courage, but her deed did universal suffrage. not result in a successful Next, in 1869, Elizabeth way. Cady Stanton and Susan B. Twenty-one years Anthony formed a group after the two women’s called the National Woman rights organizations were Suffrage Association created, in 1890, they (NWSA) which focused decided to merge forces on working to accomplish and form the National the vote through a American Woman Suffrage Constitutional amendment Association (NAWSA) led and fought as well for by Elizabeth Stanton. This other women’s rights new association brought issues like divorcement, a new idea where women and job salaries. Another thought they earned their group was created by Lucy rights not because they Stone, Henry Blackwell, were “made equal” to Julia Ward Howe called males, but because they American Woman Suffrage were distinct from men. The Association (AWSA). This NAWSA, “not only lobbied organization fought to but conducted marches, secure voting rights for political boycotts, picketing women through individual of the White House, and state constitutions. Women civil disobedience. As a began to engage in civil result, they were attacked, disobedience as a form of arrested, imprisoned, and protest. For instance, in force-fed. But the country’s 1872, “Susan B. Anthony… conscience was stirred, and went to the polls in support for woman suffrage Rochester, New York, grew”. At this point, woman and cast a ballot in the suffrage took a whole other presidential election, citing level because for the first her citizenship under the time in history, Wyoming 14th Amendment. She was became the first state of arrested, tried, convicted, the United States who gave and fined $100, which voting rights to women. she refused to pay”. The After a tireless amo rejection of women’s claim nt of work women put into to vote was unacceptable obtaining suffrage, it was for her so casting a vote not until the 20th century against the law was that women reached it. her way of showing her Slowly, more states started disagreement. This was a to give the right to vote to memorable action taken women, but southern and by a woman since it took eastern states resisted. In

1918, President Wilson told the Senate that after World War I they would adopt woman suffrage. In the middle of 1919, the Senate passed the Nineteenth Amendment, and the ratification process began. “Finally, the battle narrowed down to a six-week seesaw struggle in Tennessee. The fate of the 19th Amendment was decided by a single vote, that of 24-year-old legislator Harry Burn, who switched from “no” to “yes” in response to a letter from his mother saying, “Hurrah, and vote for suffrage!”. At last, on August 18 of 1920, Three quarters of the state legislatures ratified the Nineteenth Amendment giving full right to vote to every American woman. After all, it took 72 years from the Seneca Falls Convention to success. It is important to consider that some influential women who were activists in this matter were not alive to experience what they had fought for. Nonetheless, their challenging work opened the way for future generations’ voices to be heard.

Strides 2022

Franklin’s Fight by Carmen Hall

I sat at the large rectangular table in my freshman year biology class. As I opened my notebook and jotted down notes from the presentation my teacher was giving about DNA, I heard the name Rosalind Franklin for the first time. Being the first scientist to discover the double helical structure of the DNA molecule through x-ray crystallography, Franklin should have received tremendous recognition for her dedication to the scientific field. However, as my teacher explained how other male scientists had taken credit for her work and won Nobel Prizes, I came to understand that I would soon encounter sexism in the professional world. It was during this thirdperiod class that I realized that, in order to achieve my goals of attaining a career in the medical field, I would have to work harder than my male counterparts. Although this realization was disheartening, I discovered that I could earn the respect of both teachers and competitive peers through perseverance and

determination. I learned that a few valuable relationships were more important than many surface-level relationships with people who would only try to knock me down, and I surrounded myself with positive thinkers to promote shared successes. These experiences helped me realize that people will often

formulate an image of you before they understand the values you stand for. This preconceived image is one of the largest barriers to female success, and it is exactly this underestimation that drives me to work harder, in hopes of proving my doubters wrong.

from Wikimedia Commons

Together We Rise

OUR CONNECTIONS

responses to how feminism and women’s issues enter our own lives, personally and societally

All Bodies Are Beautiful by Daniela Mostelac

girl,

Strides 2022

CLASSIFIED

by Julia Krawiecki Gazes

Lately, I’ve been indulging in the classic Disney Princess movies I didn’t let myself enjoy when I was younger. I listen to other One Direction songs apart from What Makes You Beautiful. I wear makeup without feeling like I’m trying too hard. I think it’s pretty safe to say, I am just like other girls. And I’m enjoying it more with each passing day. In the post-antifeminity era of American pop culture, most of us teenage girls have outgrown our aversion to being associated with other women. With this evolution, the term ‘pick-me girl’ gained momentum—and quickly. For context, ‘pick-me girls’ are girls who put down other women to gain the attention of men, or who otherwise consider themselves ‘different’—superior—than other women. Since the rise of this term, girls around the country—and perhaps even the world—have been flooded with comments like ‘pick me girl’ or just ‘pick me’ when they exhibit stereotypical ‘pick-me’ behavior. Yet ‘pick-me-girl’ is not the first label of its kind. As the Internet has increasingly

embedded itself in social activity among teens, more and more types of ‘girl’ have arisen: among them, the ‘basic white girl’, the ‘HotCheeto girl’, and the ‘VSCO girl’. While some classify fashion aesthetic or common interest, these terms are primarily used to belittle these girls—and ultimately result in harm. The difference between the ‘pick me girl’ and its predecessors is that it doesn’t even try to disguise itself as a joke or playful jab. Its explicit purpose is to put down women, predominantly for use by other women. This isn’t to say I don’t understand the mentality behind the usage of the term. Even I myself used the term before I really examined it. Why wouldn’t I? It seemed like a pretty cut-and-dry defense of women’s right to express femininity, and I’d spent so long actualizing that right for myself. Yet, I want to make clear that this is neither a defense of those who use the term ‘pick-megirl’ nor a defense of ‘pickme girls’ themselves. Rather,

it is advocacy—for empathy, for contextualization before we jump to respond. So why do we attack the residue of a culture we were all victim to? Because when we empathize with these women, we also see parts of ourselves we regret. But the solution is not to view this behavior as a personal attack, but rather to view it as an attack on explicit femininity, which we have been taught to meet with hostility. While ‘pick-me-girl’ is applied to women who seek to gain the attention of men by acting a certain way, there is a similar phenomenon I’ve come to notice in the queer community. Consider, for instance, bisexual women1 complaining about their attractions to men, or—on the other side—feeling like their identities have been invalidated because they are in relationships with men. While women saying things like ‘they wish they were lesbians’ or ‘they hate that they like men’ have justifiably—and increasingly—received backlash, there is an mportant contextual difference between

these phrases when they are said by bisexual women versus straight women. When straight women make these remarks, it usually comes from a place of privilege— specifically, they ignore the oppression that accompanies being queer in order to express their frustration with men. When bisexual women behave this way, however, it is often because they have been made to feel they must ‘prove’ their queerness. The unfortunate reality is that biphobia is alive and well in the LGBTQ+ community.

Together We Rise

Biphobia, in this specific manifestation, usually revolves around assumed sole attraction to men. For example, bisexual men are often viewed as gay men who are not yet comfortable using that label, while bisexual women are often deemed straight women who feel like experimenting. Caught in implicit invalidation, it’s no surprise bisexual women feel they have something to prove. This is the product of a community that has

made bisexual women feel that they are not ‘queer enough’. That they must prove their queerness in order to be accepted in these communities. The same people who foster this insecurity so many queer women appear to hold are the ones criticizing them for acting out because of it. How should we address biphobia and ‘pick-me-girls’? What should be attacked is the root of the problem, not its products.

Growth by Mariam Bataineh

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brim

by Willow Olrich

You will not know me By the lexicon of old bones In old fields Under grand stones I will not be sieved down to remaining concessions, To the light my body rejects And the predispositions of those I touch You will know me by the color on the cotton, The way my teeth show when I laugh, The taste of my tongue in your mouth. You will not know me by the Acclaimed perditions of my pursuits, Nor will I be translated without loss Through the allusion and illusion of context You will know me like water slips through cupped hands, Like non-conservational meaning, Infinite, boundless in its absence You will know me as a blossoming husk, As a dry wave. I am metaphor, The reclamation of language, It wraps around me and is made mine.

Together We Rise

Divine Feminine by Ava Levine

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Justice Reanimated by Ava Levine

Together We Rise

relinquishing by Chiara Zecchini

limitations

There has always been an invisible line A barrier many dare not to climb over Fear of judgment over associations dominates our lack of determination to support one another A constant shadow of discrimination casts a division between one singular group of individuals who will ultimately be more powerful coming together, instead of apart. In hopes of unity, The invisible line must be abandoned The barrier must be climbed over

Feminism is not about drawing uncrossable lines but erasing them Forgetting the limitations we have set on ourselves as individuals and as a group, can remind us of our absolute capability of power, brought along by the potential of harmony and unity.

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Woman by Marianne Arana Endless minutes go by where I stare at myself in the mirror picking out my flaws. When they aren’t being picked out by me, they are somehow picked out by someone else. Scrolling through social media daily, comparing myself to the girls I one day wish to look like. Buying clothes two sizes too small so that my brain would be tricked into thinking im “thinner”, but in reality I just want my insecurities to be tucked away under a piece of fabric. I notice the small things no one else does, The way my nose moves when I talk or the way my eyes crease when I smile. I notice the way my hair doesn’t part evenly and the way it frizzes at the top. When I don’t point out my physical flaws, it goes beyond that. I start criticizing the way I am. The way my laugh is obnoxious, and how I never know what to say. How I use his attention as a measure of my worth. On Tuesday I felt seen because he looked at me, on Wednesday I felt pretty because he said “hey”, but on Friday I felt invisible because he walked past me without acknowledgement. I ask my friends why he wouldn’t like me and I constantly hear the same response. “You’re so pretty.” I know they are lying to me, because I know that if I were pretty maybe just maybe he would give me a chance.

Together We Rise

Manipulation by Samantha Diaz

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if only her body by Ava Burke

could explain

Her mind felt like a war of identity: perplexity, befuddlement, uncertainty, as it conflicted with her physical appearance. In her eyes, was struggle--war-embarking on a journey to reevaluate her internal nemesis. A persistent inner fiend lingered with her, digressing her thoughts from reality. She wished so hard for her internal addiction to set off, but it was impossible, as only hopelessness set in. She craved a ravenous hunger for beauty, even though she already had it.

Together We Rise

Change of Heart by Sofia Andrade

Strides 2022

OUR VOICES

calls for action, awareness, and empathy in regards to women’s issues today

by Lauren Bartel

Together We Rise

ars feminae

by Neptune Peterson

Write not the woman victim, but survivor, with rich maple beauty, and incredible fervor with which they attack for those they adore. Write not the woman meek, nor little girls weak for to live in times as these takes power. Fear not to deem a woman a rock, yet a flower. Denote her not as perfect. Shall we keep Aphrodite in the heavens from which she came? Do not question her intellect. Write not the woman as polished, breasted, nor tattered, as the pear you think she bears may live not. For some, the cleansing of the world will leave her battered. Write women not as static, for a woman may be so one day and the next day the contrary. Rhyme her not with suffixes “less” nor prefixes “un”, “in”. Doubtless, the woman fights with fire unless she caresses with love. But every day, be she right or wrong write her equal, kind, and strong.

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she was written by a man by Luna Mejia

Beauty captivating each and every fascination and desire Eyes, speckled with green and gold bewitching those around her Lips, full and rounded, accentuating her treasured features Cheeks, rosed and blushed, admired for their sweet subtlety Hair, cinnamon flavored,falling neatly across her shoulders Figure, slim and petite, showing off her voluptuous curves Smile, radiant and illuminating, gracing each room in which she walks Breasts, rounded and full, attracting the eyes of the beholder Waist, slimmed and slender, exemplifying her utter femininity Skin, almond toned, kissed by the glistening warmth of the sun Nose, dainty and minute, complementing her faultless and untainted features Suppressed humiliation, in which women sustain Haunted by constant cries of envy, fitting the standards written Trapped in a cage of her own self-guilt Conforming to expectations along how men have written her A new story rewritten, casts opportunity of empowerment Sparking her laughter, morality and wit Beauty found within the deep of her soul As now she is written by a woman

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Ethereal by Samantha Diaz

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Girl in the Mirror by Ava Levine

Together We Rise

shared hope

by Luciana Veloso A man in a room full of women is in paradise, but a woman in a room of men is uncomfortable and scared. Although we have fought for years, some aspects of our society may never fade. Underestimation. The feeling of being silenced. Unwanted looks and objectification. Even though we have achieved equality under law, these shared feelings and experiences continue to unite us and make us strong. But how will we use this to combat issues that go unseen? Years of fighting under a memorable movement have earned us equality. We must now use this equality to do great things. Now that we can, we must prove ourselves in ways our counterparts will never have to. Gaining respect through making impacts. Although some things are hard to change, We can still show everything we are capable of.

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Quitting after When one is asked what their favorite sports team is, the answer is usually a specific major league team of men. There is nothing wrong with this opinion, but there are barely any major league organizations that are considered a career and something to partake in after college involving a sport that are fulfilled by women. For example, the sport that I put my time and effort into as a highschool freshman and student athlete is softball. There are several major league baseball teams that are pursued by men, but there are no organizations that softball players can look to in order to continue their career doing the sport they love after college. There

College

are even several colleges that have top-notch athletic programs with no softball program. I understand that there are colleges that just don’t have the time or funding to create programs for certain sports that won’t bring any attention to them, but this limits many women involved in sports that cannot go the the college of their choice because they do not offer any sports programs that align with their interests and passions. Some surprising examples of extremely popular colleges that do not offer softball programs are Vanderbilt, Pepperdine, University of Miami, and USC. These organizations continue to work extremely hard

by Jenna Perez in keeping their baseball programs full of the best of the best athletes, yet still not putting the necessary effort into investing in a softball program. All four colleges have a strong baseball history, winning national titles for baseball. In fact, USC has won more national baseball championships than any other university. So the fact that these schools do not offer college softball is bizarre, considering the amount of recruiting they have done for the “men’s

Together We Rise version of the sport”. issue is extremely discriminatory Not only are there a towards women. Despite softball limited number of college not being as popular as the softball programs, but there MLB, there is no major league are also no softball programs softball for the women that have for college softball athletes dedicated the majority of their to pursue after college. There lives to playing the sport, and most are 30 Major League baseball outstanding players are almost teams that are extremely forced to stop playing after they popular: meaning that there graduate, even if they played for is an average attendance of college. I find it unbelievable. 18,900 fans per game. There are even Minor Leagues that young baseball players can pursue: to be specific, 120 of them. All the while, there have still been no major league softball teams to pursue after graduating college. I believe that this whole

Inequalities in Women’s Sports by Cemre Sengul

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it’s time to WIN by Alessandra Di Mise

Certain rules have been ingrained into society for women at a young age Rules that shouldn’t exist. And rules that shouldn’t be a problem for a child. The rules stand as a burden, limiting the way life is to be lived. Don’t take a walk at night Do not wear something so revealing to an event with people Don’t be vulgar, it’s not ladylike Personalities are altered, Clothing can no longer be a form of expression, Safety is an issue. Women, young and old, large and petite, share the rule, implanted in their minds Video games aren’t appealing Wearing too much make-up makes you look floozy Letting out true emotions is seen as being overdramatic It’s as if women can never win no matter what they do They deserve to win

Together We Rise

Exposed by Samantha Diaz

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they sowed fear in us, we grew wings

by Mirel Chaia Perez

In Mexico, women are no longer welcome. They fear transportation, walking alone, and even existing. This is the reality of a nation filled with femicides. The World Health Organization defines femicide as the “intentional murder of women because they are women.” Femicides in Mexico are an ongoing epidemic, as violence against women has doubled in the last five years. At least ten women and girls are murdered every day in Mexico. Mexico began officially counting femicide data in 2012. That same year, it had the 16th-most incidents of femicide in the world. Growing up surrounded by femicides, seventy-seven percent of Mexican women report not feeling safe, according to the 2019 National Survey on Urban Public Security (ENSU) by Inegi. These are ruthless crimes, with women strangled, drowned, suffocated, and stabbed. Femicides affect Mexico at a national level because they make all women constantly fear for their safety, and these crimes are not appropriately punished. However, women are taking matters into their own hands to fix this. More than 40 percent of femicide victims in Mexico knew their killer. Most femicides are committed by “partners or ex-

partners and involve ongoing abuse, threats, sexual violence or situations where women have less power or fewer resources than their partner,” according to WHO. Reuters says that violence against women has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America, “confirming fears that lockdowns would put many women in danger.” So not only is the world going through a collective pandemic, but women have to deal with the ongoing epidemic of abuse. For years, the administrations in Mexico have failed to address the seriousness and realness of femicides. “Mexico is continuing to fail to fulfill its duty to investigate and, therefore, its duty to guarantee the rights to life and personal integrity of the victims as well as to prevent violence against women,” says a recent report titled Justice on Trial, conducted by the nonprofit Amnesty International. Most Mexican women were glad to see a strong woman like Claudia Sheinbaum, the Head of Government of Mexico City, in office. However, after she denounced protestors, Mexican women were

outraged that someone, who they thought of all people would understand their struggles, would not stand up for the countless women lost each day. Eventually, Sheinbaum and the AMLO administration agreed to prioritize femicide and gender-based crimes. However, many women feel Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has brushed off the crisis and does not prioritize this hate crime. After 26,171 people called the country’s emergency call center about violent incidences against women, he said, “Ninety percent of those calls that you’re referring to are fake.” When directly asked about the high number of killings of women in Mexico, he said it had “been manipulated in the media.” Most people consider these protesters “crazy” or refer to them as “feminazis.” Nevertheless, what has driven them to go as far as to vandalize national monuments? Who has taken their daughter and friends? The government refuses to make a real change. This problem will continue to arise as long as AMLO is in office. He and his administration have no

genuine interest in helping the women who make up the country. Women in Mexico have had enough and have started taking action. This epidemic has reached its boiling point. The women leading this movement have lost their daughters, friends, cousins, and classmates. On February 9, a woman named Ingrid Escamilla was skinned and killed by her alleged partner. A few days later, on February 15, a 7-year-old girl named Fatima Aldrighetti was

by Omalaa Sharma

Together We Rise

found dead in a plastic bag, showing clear signs of physical violence and sexual abuse. These cases, among countless others, prompted dozens of protesters to go to the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, splashing red paint and graffiti on the main door. A national protest took place on March 8 in honor of International Women’s Day. Thousands of protestors flooded the streets of Reforma for a nationwide strike against gender-based violence. The attendees posted to social media to

spread awareness using the hashtag #NiUnaMenos (“Not one less”). This protest was not only to celebrate the women here today but, more importantly, to celebrate and honor the ones taken and lost along the way. The next day, women took part in a nationwide walkout, disappearing for 24 hours from their schools, jobs, and duties. The movement is known as #UnDíaSinNosotras (“A day without us”). The walkout was to show a world without women. What would happen if all women were no longer here? All the doctors, teachers, mothers, daughters refused to be taken for granted and were forced to prove their importance. Femicides are part of a bigger trend in Mexico, a trend of machismo. Today, Mexico is a country where men in Mexico think they are superior to women, knowing that they can kill and rape women and face no consequences. Until women take back their rights, we will not have them. Women live every day fighting for the very right to live.

Strides 2022

Strides Creators Designers Committee

Natalia Lopez ‘22 Kathleen Lewis ‘22 Ava Burke ‘23 Chiara Zecchini ‘23 Neptune Peterson ‘22 Cassandra Kraft ‘23 William Olrich ‘23 Laura Rovira ‘23 Julia Bueno ‘23 Olivia Moreira ‘23

Sponsored by Inelissa Artzt and Gulliver’s chapter of the National English Honor Society

by Ana Catherine Guimaraes