Throughout the social unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd in 2020, many Americans fought for change for those who suffered social injustice. As a result, Glenbard District 87 held a social justice training to shed light on the racial issues, in which eight GN students and countless staff attended. Following the training, those same eight students and staff members founded GN’s Changemakers, a unique club that addresses social justice and racial issues throughout the school and community.   

   Changemakers’ goal is to educate students of all races, genders, ages, and political backgrounds about topics they have had little exposure to, such as racial issues. Aala Bashir, ’24, a current Changemakers member, says, “We want to bring change to GN…and address microaggressions.” 

   At the start of each school year, the club hands out surveys to students in order to gain insight about racial topics and what the school is actively doing to address these topics. Members then develop presentations from the surveys in order to inform other students about specific issues within the school. Current Changemakers member Natelli Herrera, ’23, says that Changemakers “helped me realize problems I would have never faced in my everyday life,” making her more aware of such issues as racial discrimination against African Americans.

   Over the past year, Changemakers has created presentations on microaggressions and the Eurocentric curriculum, and members are currently working on a presentation about student resources.

   Changemakers is different from other GN clubs in that it is student run with teacher mentors. “Everyone in Changemakers is a leader,” says Erika Willis, a mentor of the club. As of right now, Changemakers has eight mentors, who are all current staff members at GN.

   Changemakers hopes to leave a positive impact on the school by directly listening to the student body and addressing issues that impact GN students. 

   The club is always looking for new members, and as Willis puts it, if you are someone “who feels strongly about social injustices and someone who wants to bring awareness to racial issues,” then Changemakers is the right club for you.