Our History
A Little Bit of Background on Political and Proud
Political and Proud was started by high schooler Anna Szekeres in Avon, Connecticut. Her event, taking place in Fall 2017, garnered a significant audience and had many incredible speakers including CT representative, Liz Linehan and 100 Women Who Can's Eleni DeGraw. When Lily Conable found out about the amazing work Anna had done in her hometown, she decided to adopt it (with Anna's permission) to the Bay Area. Anna and the organizers of the Alameda branch have been working together to create a unique event for the Bay Area's audience.
Our Past Events
Anisya, Lily, and Sarah have been working on events together at their school for the past year. For more information on these, scroll down.
Women's Day Rally
On March 8th, 2017 (the day following International Women's Day) Lily, Anisya, and Sarah organized and held a women's rights rally at Encinal High School to raise awareness for women's issues and other issues of equality.
The event brought together speakers from many student groups including the Black Student Union, Muslim Student Association, and the Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA).
Many students attended the event and the superintendent, mayor, and city council members were all in attendance.
Watch this documentary on the event made by fellow EHS student, Michael Chen for more information.
Period Products Drive
In conjunction with CA Assemblymember, Cristina Garcia and local activist group, All Rise Alameda, the young women of Political and Proud organized a feminine hygiene products drive at their school. The drive collected over 80 boxes of supplies to be donated to the local women's shelter.
The goal of the drive was to raise awareness for Garcia's bills, AB9 and AB10. AB9 aimed to #AxetheTax on tampons and other period products. AB10 gives eligible schools free period products to service students who may not be able to afford these necessities themselves. AB10 has been signed off on by the governor.
CARE Social Supper
Lily and Sarah hosted an event with 16 young women from their community called Social Supper. Created by humanitarian aid organization CARE USA and held by women around the country, Social Supper aimed to get people talking about the issues women and girls face globally.
Sarah and Lily's event prompted discussion in the group about what empowerment looks like and the shared experiences that many women had. It showed the true power of youth and all that they can do to uplift and motivate each other.
Cover photo courtesy of Ivan Chairez (ivanchairezphotography.com).