Race affects everybody.
Students Organized Against Racism, known as SOAR, is a club that examines how race shapes our identities through student led conversations.
“We want to see how the system can be changed so we can live in a better society,” says Corey Winchester, SOAR Coordinator.
“We invite students to learn about how to talk and engage in a way that would change minds and hearts about what racism is and how it impacts us in a day to day basis,” says Winchester.
SOAR’s main goal is to dismantle the social system that gives white people more power than people of color to create equality and better opportunities. They talk about more than just race, too. It’s a safe space for students to share their experiences, questions and problems with the world around them.
“SOAR is a comfortable place where you can talk about anything no matter how you feel,” says board member, Alejandra Gramajo.
SOAR was started four years ago by teachers who felt students needed to have the same race conversations they were having. It’s now a student driven club propelled by two two-day conferences at Northwestern University, one in the fall and the one in the winter, where students are immersed in emotional and relevant conversations about their racial identities.
Even in a community as diverse as Evanston, there are still social and physical barriers that stop people of different race from coming together.
According to illinoisreportcard.com, ETHS is 43% white, 30% black and 16% Hispanic, 4.7% Asian and 4.3% mixed race.
Programs like SOAR welcome anybody interested in starting conversations that are often silenced. It gives you skills to be a leader and share your experiences with others.