Last week, Blackheath High School’s Feminist Society were invited to speak at a student-led conference at City of London School for Girls called ‘Gender Equality: Next Steps’. The conference was set up by Sixth Formers at City who wanted to connect schools on the subject of where the quest for gender equality needs to head next.

Blackheath High was one of 11 schools that took part but the only school that was invited to speak. This was a real privilege and one taken up by Year 11’s intersectional feminist activist Matilda, Blackheath High alumna activist extraordinaire Saina Hydara and feminist teacher Ms Retallack! Other speakers included Ray Berg (a managing director of a law firm dedicated to gender equality), and founder of ‘Everyday Sexism’ and UN representative Laura Bates.

Laura Bates passionately discussed the future of feminism being about young people in schools recognising that the fight for equality isn't over, a speech that really affected the audience. Laura highlighted statistics such as a mere 7 out of 38 Lord Justices of Appeal and 18 out of 108 High Court judges are female, and women write only a fifth of front-page newspaper articles. The fight for equality certainly didn’t seem over.

Matilda and Ms Retallack then addressed the audience from a teacher / student perspective on the need to build intersectional feminist coalitions in schools. Matilda asked: "How we can even notice inequality when it isn’t compulsory to learn about systemic sexism, classism, homophobia and racism and how it operates in society?". Matilda and Ms Retallack then have advice on how to make schools more equal places around all issues of prejudice including sexism, racism and homophobia.

After Ray Berg’s business perspective on making organisations more diverse and equal places, Saina discussed her intersectional feminist activism at university and with organisations around the world. She talked about how 'activism' isn't always about big performative acts or massive marches but can be small everyday acts of resistance. She also talked about the labour of activism and how to take care of yourself when everyone wants to be taught by you. 

The panel then spoke about their feminist dreams and how to enact them at school. They truly inspired students from other schools and connected a room full of young people to stand up and activate feminist resistance.

Look out for Blackheath High’s own feminism conference later in the year!