The WLP Experience

In the three years that I’ve been involved in WLP, my awareness and outlooks on social issues have been positively impacted. Up until I joined, I was unaware of issues like HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and de facto segregation and how they directly affect my community. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I was ignorant to the issues that infest and have the potential to destroy my community, because it’s not my fault that no one ever took the time to educate me on these matters. WLP has made me aware of issues that degrade women, as a result not only am I conscious but I am outraged and determined to actively do something about it. My participation in WLP increased my interest in talking to young women in my community to raise awareness. I’m encouraged to advocate and be active in my own school-community.

While all the social issues we discuss in WLP are of great importance to me, the issue of mainstream media and female representation really concerns me. The media degrades women and successfully decreases a woman’s value by displaying them as sex symbols. There is a big difference between how white women are depicted versus Black and Latina women. A specific example is evident in music videos, white women featured are rarely seen dancing half-naked in front of numerous men but women of color are. In one of RobinThicke’s music videos titled “Sex Therapy”, the white singer is shown with several different women (of color!) scantly dressed; there is even a scene where four women are waiting for him in bed. The four women in his bed brings me to a completely different issue, the fact that society praises men for having multiple sex partners but is quick to label a woman for having multiple relations with the same men they praise.

I feel like I have to rise above the stigma associated with my community. Hopefully, my activism and decisions to pursue a college education will encourage my younger peers to follow the same path. It’s sad that many youth don’t believe that attaining a quality college education can be their reality because they are not being encouraged by people who influence their decisions because they too have the same false belief. Other young people of color, particularly women of color, I need you to believe that there is so much more to life than marriage, babies, drugs, and minimum wage. I’m living proof that we have access to that life if we choose to pursue it.

Miani Giron

Imani Moses on Women's Leadership Project

Imani Moses is a young activist and freshman at California State University Long Beach (Cal State Long Beach). She is the former president of the Women’s Leadership Project (WLP) at Gardena High School. During her tenure as president, she spearheaded numerous projects and presentations on gender justice, countering sexual harassment, reproductive justice, and much more.

Interview by Diane Arellano

Diane Arellano (DA): Imani, thank you so much for taking a few minutes to chat with us, so let’s start with the basics…

Imani Moses (IM): Well, my name is Imani Moses; I’m a freshman in college at Cal State Long Beach. My major is nursing and I’m minoring in Spanish.

DA: Oh wow, that’s so cool! So, tell me about some of the obstacles you faced in getting to college?

IM: I thought because of my GPA, I wasn’t going to get accepted. Also, I know my writing skills need improvement, so I was afraid I wouldn’t be prepared enough to be at a four-year university. I felt that in high school, I didn’t get the help that I needed, especially in English.

DA: Tell me more about how Gardena High did or didn’t prepare you for college.

IM: In some ways Gardena [high school] did prepare me and in some ways no… I would say having WLP on campus was a big part of getting me ready for college. I think that if it weren’t for WLP, I would have probably just kept to myself [during my high school years] and missed out on conferences, field trips, learning to speak in public and lots more. Joining WLP made me more confident to be out there and seek help. On the other hand I would say, no, Gardena [high school] didn’t prepare me especially when it comes to the education we received in English. In my senior year’s English class, the most challenging assignments expected us to write 5 paragraph essays—so it was an easy rubric for students to pass. In college, we are expected to write several pages with specific deadlines, leaving those of us who come from schools like Gardena with a lot of catching up to do. …So no, I don’t feel like Gardena prepared us at all.

DA: What are some issues or ideas that WLP introduce to you?

IM: The struggles that all women go through, especially the things that women of color go through. I never really questioned how the media portrays women of color. So, having WLP teach us how to observe and analyze the media helped me understand why young girls feel pressured to have “that long hair”, “those blue eyes”—even if they are contacts, and “that nice body.” Aside from learning how to recognize these issues, we also did a lot of work to fight things that like sexual harassment. I know some people may say, “oh, just ignore it,” but it’s not ok to ignore sexual harassment because by staying quiet, you begin to normalize it. It was an everyday thing to walk through Gardena [high school] and hear young women of color being degraded. I think being in college also allows me to look back and think of the harassment young of color go through because when I walk through Cal State Long Beach, I don’t walk expecting to have to fight boys who think it’s their right to put their hands on young women. It’s just not like that at all here—its nothing like my former high school.

DA: Tell me about the impact WLP personally had on you.

IM: It made me more confident. It taught me how to be a stronger person inside and out. It taught me not to worry so much about what other people say because you are what matters. I learned a lot about the different things that women of color go through. I learned to see the expectations that brown and black women are surrounded by. I remember thinking, wow we really need to rise above this and show ourselves that we can be somebody else, not just what you expect us to be. It made me focus on the impossible and think seriously about college.

DA: Tell me more about the expectations for young women of color.

IM: Well things like they’re going to come out of high school pregnant, or if they do manage to get out of high school with a good GPA and go to college, they’ll probably end up dropping out. They’re just not expected to make it. They’re expected to always be dependent on some one else---some man. It’s sad that there continue to be such degrading views women of color in the media.

DA: So I heard through the grape vine, Marlene*, that you continue to be involved in social justice issues and causes that you were introduced to as a high school student through WLP. Tell us about your activism on campus as a college student.

IM: I’m involved in F.U.E.L. (Future Underrepresented Educated Leaders) It’s a support organization for undocumented students and their allies. Yes, this is an issue I was introduced to my junior and senior year in WLP. I’m involved with FUEL because I think its unfair what undocumented students have to go through, such as not being able to get driver’s licenses or apply for jobs that they are extremely qualified for.

DA: Tell me about your favorite WLP memory.

IM: Oh man, I don’t have one specific memory, there are a lot of them. To be honest, the ones I cherish the most are the classroom presentation and bringing awareness on many topics. It made me feel good to know that people were listening to us and learning. Also, it was very comfortable being around WLP, especially the time we spent out of school. We got the chance to connect without being so serious all the time, we were able to laugh, joke, and play around.

DA: What was it like being president of WLP?

IM: It was cool! I really liked taking on that role. WLP was a great support system. I learned a lot of stuff and even though it wasn’t a huge role like being president of the United States, it still meant a lot to me because I was president. Not that it was “my group” but it was something that I dedicated four years of my life to and it meant a lot to me. …it still does to this day.

DA: What inspires you and what makes you happy.

IM: The freedom! I get to choose my own classes. I get to come to school at 8am one day and 11am the other. On Fridays I just have one class, so that’s almost like a free day. You get the chance to do everything at your own pace. I like that I’m kinda far away from home so I get some “me time” to do whatever I have to do.

DA: As, I remember you’re the oldest sibling in your family. What does it feel to be the first sibling to go off to college?

IM: It feels good! I feel like if I can do it, then my sisters definitely can do it too! I feel good that by going to college, I am defying the expectations for people of color.

DA: What advice do you have for current WLP members?

IM: Have fun, while you can. Don’t be afraid to get the help you need in English or math. It’s going to make a big difference—getting that help. Maybe you don’t want to look for help but you really are going to needed it, especially if you’re going to go to a four-year school. WLP is a really great learning experience, especially if you are willing to sacrifice some time with your friends or your boo. If you choose to make that commitment to WLP, then I assure you that your scarifies will be worth it.

DA: Great, thanks Imani, is there anything else you would like to say?

IM: I just want to say that Ms. Hutchinson and Ms. Diane are very inspiring women and I love them very much. I’m very happy that I got the chance to meet them---it changed my whole life.

*Through out the academic year, WLP members work closely with a variety activists from many fields. Marlene, is a young college activist who has worked extensively with WLP members on developing awareness and advocacy for undocumented students at Gardena High School.