Saesha Saha, FemUnity president and junior 

How did you come up with the idea of FemUnity?

One day, I was scrolling on Instagram and I came across this video which talked about the issues in Iran about Mahsa Amini and how she was arrested by the police due to not wearing her hijab properly. Because the hijab laws are open to government interpretation, she was arrested against her will and there were many eyewitnesses saying she was beaten. I thought, was there no club at CHS that supports women’s rights in Iran? I did some research and I found out there were no clubs like that. I did more research about women’s rights in other countries. For example, in Afghanistan, the Taliban are banning women’s rights in education, such as salons which were like the only place where women could interact. And then I realized I wanted to make this a club about global women’s rights.

What is the purpose of FemUnity?

The purpose of FemUnity is to protect and promote the rights of women by fostering a community of education, empowerment and advocacy. We want others to realize that despite being thousands of miles away that we still have as a community the ability to end the systematic barriers of women’s progress. Our mission statement is making women’s rights human rights.

Where and when are club meetings held?

Our club meetings are held bimonthly every other Tuesday, and they are held in B204, Kira Hansen’s room.

What kind of students do you think would benefit most from this club?

I think honestly anyone could benefit from joining this club. I know that it’s about supporting women’s rights, but I wouldn’t want just women to come. I would want anyone of all backgrounds or genders to come. It’s not really like a men-versus-women kind of thing; it’s more like everyone battling inequality, and inequality just happens to be in women’s rights, so I think anyone should come.

What would students do during club meetings?

Usually, we would plan events together as a club and then when we do those events we raise money and then that money is sent to United for Iran, which is the organization which we are focusing on this semester.

How is the club going to conduct its fundraisers?

We’re just going to plan events as a club together. We recently just started so we haven’t planned any events yet, but the next thing we are going to do is pep rally. We’re going to have a Homecoming booth there and I’ve teamed up with this person who makes crochet and jewelry. We’re going to sell their crochet and jewelry and also a bunch of food items and the money that we raise from that will be going to United for Iran.

What country are you going to focus on in the second semester?

(During) first semester, we decided on Iran as leadership. (During) second semester, we want to work with other club members to decide but we’re thinking like India or Cambodia, maybe Afghanistan, but it could be any of them. We’re not sure yet.

Kira Hansen, club sponsor

Why did you decide to sponsor FemUnity?

This isn’t really a good answer, but when I started working here they said if a student approaches you to sponsor a club, you say yes. That’s kind of the main reason, and it also was one of my own students who approached me so I felt an obligation to help out.

After this first semester, what do you think you would be the most proud of about this club?

Seeing their progress and what they can accomplish for women in other countries that are in need more so than the United States.

Why do you think a club like FemUnity has not been created in the past despite there being so many CHS clubs representing marginalized groups?

I think that teenagers typically focus on themselves more often than global concerns, so sometimes it takes time for people to establish or realize what’s happening around the world. That takes maturity to think globally. I don’t really have a definite answer on that but I think that most of the groups here at CHS that are focused on marginalized groups are within the United States and not thinking globally, necessarily.