The Student Action Committee Takes the Lead
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hanging the world takes more than vision. The commitment to lasting change demands dedication from a coalition of changemakers who put in the hours, do the unglamorous behind-the-scenes legwork, build upon incremental gains, and foster engagement from folks who will follow in their footsteps. Founded during the 2019–20 school year by Anoushka Chander ’21, the Student Action Committee (SAC) has become both the hub and the engine for High School student-led advocacy, activism, and changemaking. During the club’s inaugural year, students lobbied policymakers on Capitol Hill regarding three specific gun violence bills (known as the violence deescalation act, the assault weapons ban, and the extreme risk protection orders), took on Tenleytownbased shops selling vaping products in the school-packed Wisconsin
Maddie Feldman ’22 and Leo Cooper ’22 mail postcards to GDS seniors.
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FREED SPI RI T PHOTOGRAPH Y
Avenue corridor, and gave testimony during the public hearing of DC Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety potential ban of flavored e-cigarettes in the city.
Anoushka Chander ’21
Spanning two impeachment trials, a Supreme Court justice confirmation, a presidential election, a double Georgia Senate runoff, a turning point in the battle for DC statehood, the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s reckoning with racial injustice, and the school’s intentional focus on civic education, the 2020–21 school year saw significant growth in the activity of the SAC. With support from High School faculty and staff allies and a close partnership with the Office of Community Engagement and Experiential Learning, the SAC launched a Voter Mobilization Initiative (VMI) to combat rampant voter suppression efforts and historic voter disenfranchisement. Maddie Feldman ’22 and Anoushka co-led the effort, building an impressive infrastructure of subcommittees and, ultimately, a massive volunteer coalition of students from both GDS and peer schools that are literally across the country.
Maddie Feldman ’22
Alongside Maddie and Anoushka, subcommittee leaders Ella Farr ’21, Elliot Oppenheim ’21, Jonah Shesol ’22, Liana Smolover-Bord ’21, and Nolan Sheridan ’21 coordinated impactful advocacy around voter education, registration, and legislation. Interim director of community engagement and experiential learning Leigh Tait, High School civil rights and math teacher Andy Lipps, and GDS chief of staff Lauren Dickert joined and supported students in dozens of meetings as they connected virtually with congressional staff, launched a 200-student-strong force to replace poll-watching volunteers at local polling precincts who were at high risk for contracting COVID-19, disseminated DMV voter information in a year of pandemic-era voting process changes, and worked to activate voters in historically disenfranchised areas. In December 2020, Maddie said, “Looking ahead...the Voter Mobilization Initiative hopes to focus its efforts entirely on addressing the widespread voter suppression interwoven into the fabric of this country. We hope to begin lobbying for a restoration of the Voting Rights Act and, more specifically, with the help of various voting rights organizations, lobby for DC statehood.
