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Andrea Richardson: A Feminist, Loud and Proud
by Blythe Miller, 03.01.05
"I love the fight for human rights." |
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"The most important thing the feminist movement can do is teach young women to speak for themselves," says Andrea Richardson, a senior at St. Gregory College Preparatory School in Tucson, AZ. At the ripe old age of 17, Andrea has already spoken up more than many adults ever do. Last year, she lobbied the Arizona State Legislature on behalf of a bill that put medically accurate sex education in schools. She's also worked at her local Planned Parenthood affiliate with the teen advisory group and attended the historic March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC.
"I think it's a misconception that adults in the political process don't care what teens have to say," says Andrea. "The older generation and the younger generations have a lot to learn from one other, and I think it's really important to look at the ways the movement is changing." With that in mind, we sat down with Andrea to talk about the amazing things she's accomplished and how other young feminists can make their voices heard.
teenwire.com® (tw): How did you first get involved in the feminist movement?
Andrea Richardson (AR): My first real memory of "finding" feminism was in fifth grade when we had a play about the history of America and it didn't talk about women getting the right to vote. I launched a campaign to have the play changed. It was my first experience understanding resistance, trying to persuade people, and dealing with the word "feminist" and what that meant.
tw: What was it like to testify in front of the legislature?
AR: It was awesome. When I went to testify, I really tried to come from the teen background. I tried to say, "OK, this is simply an issue about the truth and about trusting the next generation with the truth." One of the coolest things afterwards was one woman who was anti-comprehensive sex education actually switched her vote — she voted for the bill and said it was because of me. It was really cool to take that back and show teens that they can get involved and make a difference.
tw: Have you gotten any opposition from your peers?
AR: I've had anti-choice teens harass me about my politics — and then come to me and ask me for help. And that's always very interesting because, of course, I would never turn someone away.
tw: What drives you to stay active?
AR: I love the fight for human rights. In some of my proudest moments, I've lost a battle. But it's been one that I truly believed in. I also think there's huge gap in terms of which teens have access to reproductive health care and which teens don't. And I think health care is a human right. For women to really be powerful, they need the type of health care that other people are entitled to.
Talking to older women also keeps me going. I talk to my grandma, and she has memories of young girls going to the doctor and begging for birth control, and the doctor wouldn't give it to them. Hearing those powerful messages really helps me understand the impact of what we're doing — and why we can't go back.
tw: How important do you think youth involvement is in feminism?
AR: I meet all these wonderful feminists who are terrified about the next generation of women who don't know what it was like before Roe v. Wade. I can empathize with that fear, but I think it's really important, therefore, that older feminists reach out to the youth culture. They really have to trust us. I work with a lot of teens who do pretty incredible stuff. I think it's important for there to be a partnership between the adults of the movement and the next generation of feminism. There needs to be learning on both sides.
tw: Do you feel respected, despite your age, as a part of this movement?
AR: I feel extremely respected and I think a lot of that has to do with my public speaking ability. We do trainings for young women, and one of the things that really discourages me is women who are unable to speak up for themselves — even in cases where their teachers didn't give them the correct grades on tests. If they can't speak up about that, how do you expect them to speak up about their own reproductive health care?
tw: So you think a big part of this is giving women a voice?
AR:It's important to be an advocate for yourself. When I was little and I used to do plays, my mom used to sit me at one end of the hallway and go back on the other end and make me yell my lines at her. And I think the idea to have a strong voice, to have a loud voice, to be heard, that that's really what the future generation needs. |
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