Student Led Organizations Lead Charge for Social Justice

by Hilary Htun

On October 17th, the Niskayuna Women’s Rally was held at the town hall by the storyactivists, a group of student organizers focused on raising awareness for social issues. As Nisky students continue to get more involved in current issues, Ava Giagni, a junior who handles public relations for the storyactivists, has sat down for an interview with the Warrior to discuss the event and raise further support for the student movement for social justice.

Hillary Htun: What happened at the event?

Ava Giagni: We had multiple people speaking about topics surrounding feminism. Some of the topics and areas covered were Black women, the anti feminism of Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, abortion, and women in the medical industry. This is our 3rd Rally/Protest we’ve organized and we’re always so happy and impressive with the turn out.

HH: What would you say is the main goal of doing these events?

AG: We want to spread awareness surrounding issues regarding minorities and marginalized groups. Niskayuna tends to be a sheltered place for a lot of people and it’s important for people to be able to open their eyes to what’s going on outside of our town. We really just want to help people recognize and dismantle injustice as well as give others a platform to speak.

HH: When did events start being held? And when/around when will the next one be?

AG: Our first event was in early June and it was focused on the Black Lives Matter Movement. The second one we had was in July and that one was focused on Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQIA+ community in Niskayuna. And most recently we’ve held our women’s rally. We’re currently working on a few new ideas including how to educate young kids on racism and situations of injustice. We’re still trying to figure out exactly when our next one will be because the events need to be held outside due to COVID-19 restrictions and it’s getting colder out.

HH: The upcoming information is aimed at educating the young kids, why the younger generation?

AG: We feel that it’s important for everyone to be educated on racism, sexism, homophobia, and injustice. But it’s hard to educate them in the same way that an adult or teen would be educated. We don’t want to make them completely scared of the world but we want to notify and help them understand that there are situations of injustice all over.

HH: Lastly, is there any additional information you’d like to be noticed?

AG: We just want to make the people of Niskayuna aware that although it may not seem like it, racism and homophobia are well and alive in Niskayuna. We’re trying our hardest to educate people to recognize it and call it out when they see it. If everyone comes together as we all have been in the last few months, then we can truly make a difference.

Ava is also part of multiple other clubs within the district, one being the “Sisters in Solidarity” club that was started about 2-3 years ago. The purpose of the club is to “...educate, discuss, and then advocate for people of color and world issues today.” She notes that she encourages anyone who is interested to reach out, stating “We want a bunch of people to join the club so that we can get different opinions so we can all learn from each other and discuss with each other.” The meetings are aimed to be held every week unless there are complications in the scheduling. If you want to learn more or become a participant, the club’s instagram page is: @sisters_in_solidarity