McClatchy students may have heard of the organization SYFA (Sacramento Young Feminists Alliance), a city-wide network of student activists that works to strengthen our community by bringing awareness to the causes of intersectional feminism at a local level.
SYFA was founded by Zelia Gonzales, Inga Mantecas, and Maiti King, all former CKM students, in 2014.
Founder Zelia Gonzales says, “Maiti, Inga and I…were inspired by all of the young women starting their own small feminist coalitions in high schools across Sacramento. We realized that all of those clubs were small and weren’t connected with each other…We decided we wanted to start something…to bring together all of the resources and brainpower of our clubs and support the starting of new coalitions.”
SYFA’s meetings are held at Sol Collective on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday’s of the month. During those meetings, events and fundraisers are planned, and lively discussions are held.
Anna Murray, a Senior at CKM, and current co-president of SYFA, emphasizes the importance of the organization, saying, “I think that some people think that we don’t really need feminism anymore…but there’s a lot of problems facing women today…and in order to move forward and be productive we need to acknowledge that, and I think [in the past] feminism hasn’t been doing that. So I think it’s important to change the connotation [of feminism] to something that acknowledges that.”
SYFA holds yearly events and fundraisers, such as dances, Open Mic nights, and an annual convention. All events are youth oriented and center on providing platforms for teens in Sacramento to raise their voices and get involved in the community .
The annual convention is one that builds community by bringing youth together, “I really like the bonding that the convention goers always have, there is a really strong desire for community and togetherness” says Murray.
SYFA is compiled of students all over the Sacramento region, from McClatchy, to Natomas Charter. Julia Benson is a Senior at Natomas Charter Performing and Fine Arts Academy, and an active member of SYFA. She heard of SYFA via a family friend, and says she “was looking for a bigger club outside of Charter. Plus I am passionate about civil rights and wanted to be more active in my community.”
“When everyone comes together, especially because Sacramento has a lot of problems, I think having a united front is really cool,” Murray says.
Reinforcing the practical purposes of SYFA, Zelia Gonzales explained, “SYFA is really about teaching young women leadership and project management skills through project management skills through feminist projects–and that is a feminist idea in itself.”