Activism Board Embraces ‘Love Is Love’
Changes to the Activism Board for the month of February
Activism Club expresses love with the February Board located next to the cafe in the cafeteria.
February 25, 2021
The Activism board, located in the lunchroom, is seeing its first change since its creation. While the club focuses on diversity and political issues, it also speaks on acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. The board is being changed every month for a different issue the Activism club wants to speak on. For the month of February, the board is centered around the term “Love is Love”.
“Love is Love” is a term used to express the want for acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community. Not only does the term focus on LGBTQ+, but it is also used for universal love and acceptance of all people.
“The board is for everyone,” Madeline Francis, the design manager of Activism club, said. “For anyone who is struggling with their sexuality and doesn’t know where to go, the board is a good place for positive words and open arms for someone who needs a place to feel loved.”
While the club and board gets a lot of backlash, the club is a place for acceptance and education. Not only is the Activism club a safe place, it is also a place to learn about important issues that don’t get a lot of attention.
Along with being a month of love, February is also Black History Month. This is also an important topic for the club.
“We wanted to do something that raised awareness for LGBTQ+ rights! Since it’s also Black History Month, we are doing that online through our Instagram and plan to make the board BLM themed in April since that is when we plan on having our awareness gathering for BLM,” Arthi Kondapaneni, the president of Activism club, said. The club didn’t want to exclude Black History Month. So in order to speak on black history, they have been posting on their Instagram (@lhsactivismclub) as an attempt to educate followers about some important figures in black history.
While many see the club and the activism board as a positive solution to many issues we face inside and outside of LHS, there has been a lot of backlash from students who do not agree with LGBTQ+ and BLM (Black Lives Matter). Many acts of vandalism have been dealt with when it comes to the board, and this may seem like a terrible act. But to Francis and Kondapaneni, this is the creation of discussion at Liberty.
“It is very sad to watch the art and work being torn down, but it’s making people know what our club is about and the word is spreading about the club,” Francis said. “Although it is saddening to see our club member’s artwork being torn down, it is good to see that our board is starting a conversation in Liberty. The first step of activism is always starting a conversation and getting people to think about the issues at a local and national level. Having people think, even in a negative way, can slowly lead to positive thinking and change.”
No matter the negativity thrown at the club, many members maintain a positive attitude and continue to spread love and acceptance of all people. The club plans on continuing to keep a safe, positive place for all people to be educated. Even if you do not attend the meetings, you can still look at the Instagram posts and check out the Activism board posted in the cafeteria.
