Seniors Remy Usman and Bintou Sillah have created a new club at North Cobb this semester, sponsored by physics teacher Ms. Walker, called Warriors for Women, which focuses on gender equality.

“I chose to accept the sponsorship of the Warriors for Women club because women’s empowerment issues has been a passion of mine for many years. I come from a background of abuse and abandonment, so I understand the importance of a society of women that are clear about who they are and what they stand for. Teaching Physics was one way I chose to fulfill that desire. As a black, female physicist, I am a rare demographic, and I felt like that was one way I could also empower women to see that you do not have to look a certain way or subscribe to a certain gender to do whatever gift is put in you. We all have gifts, and if we are free to stand in our truths as young girls, we can make a significant impact on society,” Ms. Walker said.

Usman, club president, and Sillah, vice president, plan on posting Crisis Text Hotline information in the restrooms around school, collecting used cell phones for survivors of domestic abuse and their families, and donating clothes and blankets to women’s shelters. They also plan on broadcasting “Women Warriors” on the school’s ongoing slideshow, which will feature outstanding female students, teachers, and administrators.

“Being a young woman, I can’t help but be interested in issues that women face because of a bigger power structure. I feel that creating a safe space for other young women to get together and talk about sound of these issues is the first step in getting rid of them. Also, I want to talk about issues that face specific types of woman too, like women of color, LGBTQ women, or others to make people realize that while not every problem may affect them personally, the problem will still need to be addressed,” Sillah said.

Sillah wants to start a coin drive school-wide during the holiday season that will raise money for Heifer International, a non-profit organization that purchases livestock to help hunger-stricken women. She wants to collect five thousand dollars, which will provide food and livestock for an entire village.

“I became really interested in women’s issues and feminism last year after reading Zainab Salbi’s autobiography Between Two Worlds, which ultimately explains why she began her non-profit, Women for Women International, to help Women in war-torn areas financially and socially. During my ASR project, which studied attitudes on rape, I read everything I could about women’s issues and learned that a lot of my close friends shared the same feminist values as me. Feminism isn’t usually something you talk about in class, but I wanted to talk about it, so I got together with Bintou and we created Warriors for Women for like-minded students to discuss women’s issues and put words into action through community service,” Usman said.

Since the club just started, members still need a secretary to take notes and organize club events, a treasurer to manage the club’s budget, and a social media correspondent to manage the club’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Starting August 28, Warriors for Women will meet every Thursday morning at 7:40 in room 616.