On Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016, a large, passionate group of individuals gathered, amid an extremely busy orientation week, to discuss an umbrella of critical topics that millennials might be familiar with. The Social Justice Mixer was held at The New School as a safe haven and more importantly, a breeding ground for those that aspire to leave a mark that goes beyond the retweet of a hashtag. The group, split into three, discussed issues ranging from LGBTQ+ to the Black Lives Matter movement and then joined at the end to discuss said topics.
As the individual groups merged together, it was enlightening to see so many concerns usually discussed on Instagram or Twitter- such as posts about intersectional Feminism or the stigma around mental and physical disabilities- brought up in person and centered on giving rise to solutions. Women’s rights and the stereotype of a modern day feminist was a popular topic among these issues. “The first step in the right direction is education. I think a lot of people don’t understand what feminism is, they think that it’s just women’s rights. It’s about giving everyone equal rights,” states Margaux Temmerman, a freshman and one of the many advocators for women, and women of color specifically, at the event.