High School Student Starts New “Miami Mujeres” Branch

by Eva Egozi
Miami Branch 

June 2023

The wait is over! I am thrilled to announce the launch of Miami Mujeres, the newest addition to the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), from Miami, Florida. As the founder of this chapter, I am dedicated to planting the seeds for change regarding gender equality and social justice in the Miami area. Read on to learn about the journey to developing the branch and about the incredible opportunities Miami Mujeres has to offer in the near future.

As a current high school sophomore, I am now entering my fourth year of participating in competitive Speech and Debate. Specifically, I have competed and researched through a genre called Policy Debate, a category that focuses on helping shape young adults like myself into the policymakers of the future. Through learning to grasp the raw details of change and understanding how to compare and curate new policies, I have gained new knowledge of how to address issues of justice in my area.

Through the years, I have found myself observing new policy changes and violence in the world through a feminist lens. I have witnessed how feminism works in international relations, and looked at the root causes of violence from a feminist perspective. The time spent doing such research was what ultimately ignited my passion to bring an organization like WILPF into my community.  

Once I understood the change I wanted to see, I noticed that there were young women like me who had the fervor to develop something bigger than ourselves, something that would make an immense imprint on our community. After recruiting members who were eager to join the cause, I researched and found myself in contact with leaders at the head of WILPF US who were more than willing to lend me a helping hand. Without their generous offerings and endless amounts of help and guidance, the Miami Mujeres branch would have never been capable of getting off the ground. 

Furthermore, when naming the branch, I wanted to tie WILPF back to something that related to my community’s heritage. As a Cuban woman, I felt Miami Mujeres was an incredible fit for a chapter that is inclusive to anyone of all ethnicities, races, and more. 

Lastly, the branch is currently getting in contact with a multitude of sexual harassment/ assault shelters for women and children across the Florida community. With the help of the Miami Mujeres branch, packages filled with a myriad of necessities for the women and children living in these shelters will be delivered. We hope to instill joy, stand in solidarity, and instill lasting change into the community in any way we can.
 
As we continue to build our leadership committee for the Miami Mujeres branch, we hope to continue to gain more opportunities to help break barriers and spark material change in the Miami, Florida area. If you are interested in reaching out and getting connected with the branch, please email me at evaegozi@icloud.com!