Good Company (Issue 2): The Fear(less) Issue by Grace Bonney

Author:Grace Bonney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Artisan
Published: 2018-09-26T21:47:32+00:00

Lupita Martinez, Juliana Contreras & Sabina Contreras

The Butterfly Effect

Meet the Radical Monarchs, the next generation of young women working to change their communities and the world at large.

By Meg José Mateo

Photography by Gabriela Hasbun

Radical Healing. Radical Self-Love. Black Lives Matter. Radical Pride. These are just a few of the badges that adorn the vests of the Radical Monarchs. Made up of young women of color ages eight to fourteen, this girls’ group moves beyond simple volunteerism, sewing crafts, and outdoor education—components typical of traditional girls’ groups—to learn about what it’s like to really stand up for your community.

The idea for the group came about in early 2014 when Anayvette Martinez’s daughter Lupita was in fourth grade. At the time, Lupita wanted to join her local Girl Scouts troop. But Anayvette didn’t think it would speak to her daughter’s experience, especially after hearing that the group was not diverse. A community worker for local youth, Anayvette wanted something more for her daughter; something that connected to the socially conscious values of their family and centered on the experiences of young girls of color. Anayvette daydreamed about what a troop like that might look like, and even what types of badges they might get. It sent her mind whirling. “I mentioned the idea to my daughter, and she was really into it,” Anayvette says. “My life was busy and months went by, but Lupita never forgot. I told my friend Marilyn Hollinquest about it—and she thought it was an amazing idea.” Marilyn, a middle school teacher and community advocate, and Anayvette got to work. In December of that year, Radical Brownies (the group’s initial name) was born. The first troop began with Lupita and her friends, but grew to include more girls from the Oakland community.

The news of the group made instant headlines—“Badges for Badasses”—and spurred Fox News host Sean Hannity to surmise, “We think the girls are being exploited.” While Radical Monarchs provides an alternative to the Girl Scouts, it’s not as if they were the first to create such an option. Multiple girls’ groups with badge-filled vests exist—from Camp Fire and Frontier Girls to American Heritage Girls, which has a conservative Christian focus—but no one has attempted what Radical Monarchs are going for: a girls’ group with a social justice foundation focusing on issues that affect young women of color.

“There’s a lot of rampant injustice happening. We have to teach young people how to be advocates and allies in order to be in community with each other and achieve social justice,” states Marilyn. For the group, Anayvette and Marilyn generate curriculum related to timely issues in the national conversation and what’s going on in the girls’ lives, as well as anything the girls want to work on. They set each unit to last about three months, with the culmination of their learning manifesting in an activity or a project like screen-printing posters (for their “Radical Roots” unit) or making flower essence sprays and herbal first-aid kits (for their “Radical Healing” unit).

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