Social Justice Day: Year 9's inspiring speeches

On the 21st of February, Year 9 students were given the opportunity to speak up for what they believe in. And many did, brilliantly so.

Here are a few transcriptions of the students' fantastic speeches, inspired by Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" formatting.

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Brenda Zhao, Y9;

"I have a dream that we can live in an equal society. Where every individual has equal rights and opportunities.

I have a dream that people of color can stop being discriminated against. For all schools to provide equal opportunities regardless of one’s physical trait such as skin color. In workplaces, achieving the goal that employee’s race does not impact how they’re treated or promoted. And for you to THINK before you speak, reflect on the casual racism that you slip into your jokes and think is funny.

I have a dream that people of any gender can have equal rights in our society. All gender. Meaning not the binary sexes, female, and male: But diversely, all gender. The media seems to always talk about gender inequality for women and men. Which is needed since even after legendary individuals like Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth C. Stanton have spent their lives trying to achieve equal rights for women we still haven’t reached the goal yet. However, no one ever talks about equal rights for gender diverse people. In fact we aren’t even recognized by law yet. The community has historically been discriminated against in the realm of employment, marriage, medicine, incarceration, and the military, along with many other aspects of life.

I have a dream that disabled people can stop facing disadvantages caused by society. For those disabled to have the education, employment, household resources, and safety that they deserve.

I have a dream that we can end economical inequality. For income to be distributed equally between different society groups.

I have a dream for people with more power to help make changes.

I have a dream that we will continue to make changes.

I have a dream that someday everyone will have the equal rights that they deserve."

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Sofia Santos, Y9

"I have a dream. A dream that whenever I go out, I don’t get stared at.

I have a dream; I dream to be seen equally as men. Being seen as a woman can mean a lot of different things. It can mean being beautiful and pretty or being able to take in feelings that women need to hide, It can mean being flawless and always ready to be seen with makeup and good hair and pretty outfit. Being polite and caring and being seen as an object to the ones that believe that we are nothing more than a baby creator. It means knowing but still ignoring the important facts to look good. Just knowing that we will never be as good or as important as a man in everything is very enraging and annoying.

Women receive less money and more criticism. They think before they speak so they are not thought bad of. Women suffer through things men could never imagine such pregnancies, being cat-called, being body-shamed if they don’t have a what society called now a “bikini body”. It is all so unfair; how we get shamed for wearing a cute top and we get called out on the streets because we are wearing a short skirt or tight jeans. This world doesn’t realize that women are NOT objects to bring pleasure to men.

I have a dream, a dream to be seen equally."

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Alice Santiago, Y9

"Equal pay for equal play. How often have we heard this? Not enough is for sure the right answer as this is still not applied nowadays. Gender inequality should be ended. This shouldn’t be just talked about, but actions should be made. For all the people here today, for all the woman and men, to every taxpayer: We have been fighting for everyone’s equal rights. Now it’s time to fight for women.

And this is not an old case - this is still a valid problem to talk about. In 2020, woman earned 84% of which men acquired, as indicated by a Seat Exploration Center investigation. This therefore means that it would require an additional 42 days of work for ladies to procure the same amount which men did in 2020. But it’s not about how much you get, it’s about how fair it is.

Many people have realized that battling for woman’s freedom and rights has time after time become a synonym with man-abhorring. To make things abundantly clear, feminism by definition is: "The conviction that people ought to have equivalent freedoms and valuable open doors. It is the hypothesis of the political, monetary and social balance of the genders." I have a dream that one day, when choosing between two jobs application, people will be judged by their minds and not gender. People will be judged by what they can offer and not if one will have to stay out for 9 months or not.

I have a dream that we will drink to the thrust of equality from a cup filled with hope, kindness, and ethical decisions."

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Clementine Moreno, Y9

"I have a dream.

I have a dream women and men would be treated equally.

I have a dream.

I have a dream we, women, wouldn’t be afraid to walk alone in the streets, without a fear that occupies our whole bodies and overcomes our mental state.

I have a dream.

I have a dream we wouldn’t be seen as weak and fragile by the means of society .

When I was a child, people used to tell me that men were stronger, and even though I disagreed, I couldn’t say anything against the statement since this was the way society was educating me.

“Not all men, not all men act this way..." Of course. We know, we know it’s not all men, but we take precautions because we don’t know which men.

I have a dream.

I have dream we could wear anything we wanted, without being judged or commented.

Women have been treated this way, for centuries, they were told they belonged to the kitchen, they should cook for their husbands.

Women couldn’t work, they had to stay at home, clean the house, take care of the kids, why is that? Why couldn’t they have a normal job like men did?

Women’s right to vote was only allowed at around 1920 - can you believe that? Can you believe that 100 years ago, it was illegal for women to vote?

If women hadn’t fought for this injustice, perhaps there wouldn’t even be a change in the present days.

Nevertheless, there is still hope, we shall fight until we earn proper justice and equality .

This isn’t over. Thank you."