WLP Short Takes

Nia Castleberry (12th grade)

What are some political issues that make you angry?

The issue of censorship in particular makes me angry because if allowed, it denies one the right to express their thoughts, ideas, and viewpoints.  We as Americans have the right to freedom of speech and to have that right taken away is one of the very key elements of oppression.

Janeth Silva (12th grade)

Music: a five letter word that’s supposed to make you feel happy but hearing male music artists express themselves about females negatively makes me angry.  The worst part is hearing my peers sing those songs and think it’s okay because, like they say, “if the radio plays them why can’t I sing them?”

Karly Jeter (11th grade)

Reflect on a time where you felt discriminated against:

I was discriminated against while I was the Getty Museum.  This was two years ago and I went on a field trip with my English class and I was walking around a floor looking at art.  Then a security guard kept following me.  He was white, and he kept telling me to stay away from the art, though other students were there he only scolded me.

Miani Giron: Horatio Alger Scholarship Winner

By Sikivu Hutchinson


Miani Giron is a senior at Gardena High School and president of GHS' Women's Leadership Project (WLP).  Miani was recently awarded a prestigious  $20,000 Horatio Alger Association scholarship for community service, character, and academic excellence. Miani is one of two students in California to receive this national award. This spring she will travel to Washington D.C. to attend a conference for Alger awardees.  She recently received a full scholarship to Syracuse University's pre-med program and is awaiting news on other campuses. WLP provides students with one-on-one college and scholarship counseling, resourcing and advisement.

What is your background and what are your goals in life?

I identify as Hispanic or Latino but more specifically as a Puerto Rican of African descent.  People always assume that I am Mexican and speak Spanish but my mother is African American.  I have volunteered at the local library as a tutor in English and Math.  I also volunteer on Saturdays with community events at the library and I’ve  volunteered at the Gardena Wilderness Preserve with clean-up, plantings and other maintenance.  I’m currently in the C&A nursing assistant program, volunteering at a local nursing home, where I feed and wash patients.  I’m enjoying this the most because I want to pursue a career in the medical field.  I’m interested in Pediatrics, Psychiatry or Psychology.

In the three years that you have been involved in WLP how has it changed or shaped your view of the world when it comes to gender and race issues?

It has shifted my thinking a lot because I really didn’t know about issues like HIV/AIDS and how it was specific to me and my community.  WLP has made me think about issues that are degrading towards women and made me more conscious.  It made me more interested in talking to young women in my community.  We’re encouraged to advocate and do things in our own school-community and talk to our peers.

What were some of the best or most rewarding experiences you had with WLP?

The experience with going to the Cal State University Dominguez Hills forum and talking to middle school students about gender issues and stereotypes really stood out to me.  I see self-hatred amongst women in terms of abuse.  A lot of women feel that you can’t change it.  Women internalize it, because men are dominant.  Women feel hopeless that they can’t do anything about it because it’s been going on for so long.  I see it in some of my female relatives who feel that they have to be in a relationship and take the verbal abuse from their partners.  I want to be stable in my life and have a career.  At school we see girls who are pregnant and there are all these reality shows that promote pregnancy.  I don’t want to lead my life that way.  These issues make me want to encourage girls of color to seek out other opportunities.

What are some of your biggest complaints about the mainstream media?

I feel that the media degrades women and shows that they don’t deserve respect and value.  There is a big difference between how white women are depicted and Black and Latina women.  Black and Latina women are not shown doing positive things deserving of praise.  There are a lot of magazines that show white women progressing and doing positive things.  There is a lot of focus on abuse and violence amongst Blacks and Latinos.  Plus, magazines show pregnant white women getting praise for having babies.

So what advice do you have for other young women of color who don’t have college role models?

I would want to show them that it is possible.  Gardena did prepare me for college to some extent because I was always in the college career center.  However, I had to seek the information out whenever I had free time.  I started getting support when I joined WLP.  Before then I didn’t have anyone that was actively encouraging me and I would show other girls that there is a different life out there and you don’t have to limit yourself.

WORLD AIDS DAY & Gender Justice

By Sikivu Hutchinson

From the Editorial Collective of The Feminist Wire

What will need to happen to achieve the goal of eliminating new HIV infections, AIDS related deaths, and discrimination? What can we do, collectively, to get to zero?

Young women of color are at the epicenter of this crisis. Our Women’s Leadership Project students are kicked off two days of World AIDS Day peer education at Gardena High School and Washington Prep High School. As an educator in South Los Angeles schools, I believe preventive education has to begin with breaking down the myths and stereotypes associated with heterosexist relationships, misogynist media images and patriarchal gender norms that undermine young women’s right to self-determination. Increasingly, working class African American and Latina women are being indoctrinated into a decidedly misogynist, anti-feminist view of womanhood and sexuality that has both a secular and faith-based tenor. Coming from highly religious households, many of my students have been socialized to believe that their “authentic” destinies lie in getting and pleasing a man. They struggle with the challenge of developing their own voices, preparing for college, careers and intellectual pursuits whilst battling the insidious tide of a so-called post-feminist universe where hypersexuality is conflated with liberated femininity. Young men of color are also imperiled by heterosexist, masculinist gender norms that promote hard thugged-out male identities at the expense of women’s human rights as well as loving/respectful homo-social, heterosexual and same-sex relationships and families. Getting AIDS cases down to zero must involve a revolution of mind and deed; a transformation of the way masculinity, femininity, and sexuality are perceived in the U.S.

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.

Youth Media Education Conference

Approximately 200 youngsters from area schools like Dorsey, Crenshaw, Gardena and Washington Prep, and other teens from Bret Harte Middle School, Cerritos High School and Covenant House, participated in a Youth Media Education Conference on June 3rd at Cal State University Dominguez Hills. The conference featured youth-led workshops, panels and performances that examined the cultural and historical impact of media representation and how it impacts their lives as youth of color. The event was coordinated by writer and intergroup specialist Sikivu Hutchinson and was sponsored by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, the Gardena Health Start Collaborative and the Women of Color Media Justice Initiative. Conference themes focused on a number of provocative questions. What are gender stereotypes in the media and how do they affect cultural beauty standards vis-à-vis black and Latina young women’s self-image and self-esteem? How can youth of color dispel the dominant culture’s negative images of who they are? How can undocumented youth advocate for themselves? What mainstream stereotypes and barriers contribute to the epidemic of homelessness amongst youth of color and lesbian and gay youth? The conference was an eye-opener for Sonny Jones, an outspoken young man and member of Gardena High School’s Beyond the Bell leadership of diversity group. Jones’ group presented on the media’s promotion of violent masculinity. The group began their workshop with a gender role reversal skit in which Jones played the part of a man going on a job interview for the first time and a female classmate played the part of his disapproving breadwinner wife. During the skit, Jones was cat-called by girls on the street, told he looked like he was applying for the secretarial position instead of the executive job and reminded that there was no childcare or leave time for the job. “It showed me that there should be equality between men and women, and people should be doing jobs, not on the basis of gender, but on what they can do,” he said.

In another workshop, Gardena High School Women’s Leadership Project students presented on the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes in advertizing. Eleventh graders Dercy de la Cruz and Imani Moses discussed how, from early childhood, boys are taught to play with action figures and girls are encouraged to play with dolls. “We are being told, in subtle ways, that men are to be strong, aggressive and in control, while we should know how to clean house, cook and take care of children.” Among the most touching group of youngsters were those who are AB540 undocumented students. These are teens that were born outside of the United States and are trying to go to college. The Future Underrepresented Educated Leaders (FUEL) advocacy group from Cal State University Long Beach (CSULB) addressed the special hurdles AB540 youth face preparing for and funding college. CSULB student Marlene led the workshop and received positive feedback from the culturally diverse group of African American and Latino youth participants. She made the point that undocumented status affects youth from culturally diverse backgrounds, not just Latino youth, and that they needed to establish a “network among themselves.” “Once you are out of school, “she said, “You will be getting very little in the way of help. So relying on your network of colleagues and friends will be invaluable in moving you forward towards your goal.” Members of Gardena High School’s Gay/Straight Alliance performed a poignant skit about the coming out process and parents’ homophobic anxieties and misperceptions. Some of the audience members’ responses surprised the actors. Some of the youth thought that one’s sexuality was a matter of personal preference and not something that one is born with. “It made me think about how much more work we need to do to educate other teens, “said Crystal Perez, a member of the Gay/Straight Alliance who identified herself as bisexual. Crystal got into heated discussions with some of her peers about the “immorality” of being gay, while others expressed solidarity and called for tolerance.

Other workshop sessions focused on increasing one’s sense of self-esteem, particularly in fostering healthy relationships, and the connection between the “normalization” of violence against women and increasing levels of sexual harassment and sexual assault among youth. The Bricks, an eleven-member multiracial youth band, sponsored by the County, performed songs on xenophobia and anti-racism at the end of the day-long series of workshops.

Story By Ava Gutierrez ( the public information officer for Community and Senior Services, County of Los Angeles.)

Gardena High School Women’s History Month Forum

On March 24th students from the Women’s Leadership Project and Leadership of Diversity club collaborated on a Women’s History Month Forum. The forum was attended by Social Studies, Health, English and Government classes in the Social Hall. The event featured spoken word narratives on female historical figures like Sojourner Truth, Dolores Huerta, Shirley Chisholm, Luisa Moreno and Ida B. Wells. The forum was designed to introduce Gardena students to little known social history on communities of color. Students also developed a role reversal skit that highlighted women’s everyday experiences with sexual harassment, workplace discrimination and the double burden of domestic work and caregiving in the home. The forum concluded with a spirited student debate on a woman’s right to choose, featuring pro-choice and anti-choice perspectives and questions from the audience.

June 4th Youth Media Education Symposium

On June 4th 2009, 130 students and adults from Gardena, Crenshaw, Dorsey and King-Drew Medical Magnet High Schools, in addition to Audubon and Horace Mann Middle School participated in a Youth Media Education Symposium sponsored and supported by the Women of Color Media Justice Initiative, the California Women’s Foundation and the Gardena High School Healthy Start Collaborative. The event was held at California State Dominguez Hills’ Loker Student Union. Students and youth advocates gave presentations on media literacy and advocacy which focused on analyzing media representations of young women and men of color, addressing violence against women of color in music and video, developing positive images of masculinity and male responsibility, and dissecting media stereotypes of LGBT communities of color. Women’s Leadership Project students presented a workshop that examined the similarities in the history of media imagery of African American women and Latinas. Representatives from Peace Over Violence, Mother’s Day Radio and the LACHRC also gave presentations. Artist and musician Nailah Porter provided inspirational words and songs on socially responsible music for the closing debrief session.