“Gender-based discrimination can’t be overlooked as a relic from the past nor accepted as the norm.”
Read our CEO Surina Khan’s latest Op-ed in The Mercury News and find out more in the “Together We Rise” report featuring the stories and perspectives of girls of color across the Bay Area.
“Back to school is thought of as an exciting time of backpack shopping and reuniting with friends. But for some, particularly for girls of color, this is not the case. Right here in the Bay Area, girls are fighting against the headwinds of a system that has for a long time silenced their voices and measured their worth based on their contributions to boys and men. As a result, their worlds, their homes and even the schools they’re returning to this month are biased against them — their foundational spaces engendering toxic environments of harassment and violence, rather than of safety, learning and fun.
Last week, Alliance for Girls, with support from the Women’s Foundation of California as a part of the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiative, released a report titled “Together, We Rise” that features the stories and perspectives of over 60 girls of color living in San Jose and Oakland. The findings were disheartening and unacceptable. The interviews illustrated a deep gender injustice — a systematic failure by adults and peers to treat girls and boys equally.”