Most people struggle with speaking up. Struggle with using their voice even when they know something isn’t right. Who’s tired of people like that? Would you rather be in a place surrounded by people who do choose to stand up, put themselves in between adversity and their and others opportunities, and fight for people who can’t vocalize their own problems?
That O’ so Utopian sounding place is in fact somewhere people can go here at PLHS. Meeting twice a month, Papio Proud (Proud stands for promoting respect, opportunity, and diversity) is a social justice group that speaks about social equity, and helps better the awareness of different groups/cultures in school and community.
“Apart from promoting racial justice, having a safe space for other people is one of the main things the club focuses on,” Senior Deepa Pollali said.
The club was first created in 2020-2021 to create a safe place for people to go during the BLM issues in our country, if they needed someone to talk to about it. But as the club grew and progressed, it became so much more than a place for people to vent, and it gained many new yearning members.
But if someone doesn’t have the time to fully commit to a club, anyone is still welcome to come to one of the meetings just to talk to any students/teachers.
Some teachers that are a part of the club are the school psychologist Ms. Davis, the school social worker Mrs. Schnabel, and a Spanish teacher Mrs. Darling. All of the teachers in the club seem to have liked things they have done in the past.
“Some events that we did last year were the multi-cultural fair, during Read Across America, we read books to elementary students, we went to the Nebraska school psychologist event and spoke, and gave presentations to a lot of teachers and students here at school,” Pollali said.
If someone is looking for something that reaches even beyond the school, Papio proud is without question the perfect fit.The community is not the only thing that the club helps, how it affects the members involved should never be taken for granted.
“It [the club] makes me feel comfortable and happy that I actually found people I can relate to,” Freshman Bra’Liah Burkhalter said.
If someone has ever felt excluded/ felt they were being minoritized against, Papio proud is a great place to go considering the club makes everyone feel welcome, and does their absolute best to promote equality and fairness.
“Our club shows equality by representing everybody and people with lots of different perspectives. Education is the first step to equality,” Pollali said.
Papio proud is not only a place to vent, it’s also a place to learn. If someone has no idea about their culture/identity, is unknowingly blind to things like microaggressions, (an indirect or subtle discrimination against members of a group) and normalized racism, or wants to learn even more than they already know about social topics, they are welcome. Come through those Library doors on a scheduled Wednesday with an open mind and heart, and it is guaranteed everyone will learn something new.
Pollai also said that it starts from here. “It” being growth. “It” being knowledge. “It” being the progress to change. Papio proud and its people do all that they can to make our community/school a better place where all are treated equally, and feel together and united.
“Having everyone represented makes sure that people are not alone in the school. Some things we did like the multi-cultural fair give the school a sense of being connected,” Pollali said.
Most clubs that are offered at school only cater to certain people who like or are good at certain things. Papio proud is one of the only clubs where anyone can join and be a part of something that is making a difference, step by step. If that sounds tempting, don’t feel hesitant to join. Everyone has a voice, so use it.