On March 23, The Zonta Club of Oswego held a demonstration in the Civic Plaza in front of City Hall. The club is a part of Zonta International, an organization that has made its mission, according to the Zonta District 2 website, as “leading a global organization of individuals working together to build a better world for women and girls.” 

This event was aimed at protesting the Supreme Court case of the Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and Danco Laboratories v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine set for discussion on March 26. If the drug at the heart of this conflict is banned, access to a safe and effective form of early-stage abortion will no longer be granted to women across the United States. 

Braving the bitter cold of the late afternoon, The Zonta Club of Oswego took a strong step in ensuring their voices were heard. On the steps of City Hall, the president of the Oswego group Iraina Gerchman was joined by fellow members as she boldly addressed those who had shown up to the event as well as the organization’s following on social media. The Zontas have an abundance of members active in the community as well as on campus at SUNY Oswego. 

The Golden Z club is advised by CSTEP Coordinator Christina Vasquez, who played a crucial role in organizing the demonstration and needed the actions to ensure they received the permits required by the city. Two members of the school-affiliated club joined the Zontas at the demonstration, displaying posters that spoke out firmly against legislation concerning women’s reproductive rights. The students, senior Ahkalia Williams and sophomore Favour Atiri, both joined the club to help promote activism on campus. 

Williams explained that “our advisor [is] a part of the Zonta club already, so she really promoted the Golden Z Club as a means of activism, leadership and involvement in the community.” 

Action within the community is very important to both Williams and Atiri. Many organizations affiliated with SUNY Oswego are campus-oriented. The Golden Z allows for an opportunity to reach out to the community and make a difference outside of what students are familiar with in a manner that will have a lasting positive impact. Atiri saw the club as a way to “create a solid connection with Oswego, like [Williams] said, not just the campus but the Oswego community in general so that the club can continue to grow and positively impact the community after older members leave.” 

The Golden Z club is not only active within the community, but on campus as well. They appear at tablings in the Marano Campus Center on the first Monday and last Thursday of every month and meetings on Tuesdays in the campus center from 5:30-6:30. Currently, the club is holding a donation drive for local children that includes backpacks and food that is easily transported for those in food-insecure homes. 

As the two young women observed the excitement radiating from the members around them, they brought the event full circle, remembering what brought them to City Hall on such a chilly day.

“We recognize that women are a marginalized group; we do not always see the same rights as our male counterparts and we don’t have the same opportunities as them sometimes,” Williams said. “We are telling the world that we want more for ourselves; we want to be able to choose and to have the same rights as everybody else. So, we are here today to let our voices be heard saying we want our reproductive rights.” 

Williams enforced the importance of local women coming out and using their voices to stand up for themselves. Atiri echoed this statement. 

“We are here to be heard,” Atiri said, “to set a precedent for future generations by protesting today and hopefully we will encourage others to do the same.” 

The demonstration concluded early due to the weekend’s low temperatures. Despite the difficulties of speaking out before an empty City Hall and with little public appearance, the women of Oswego persisted and ensured that they were heard.

Photo by: Elena Ehrhart