the faces of BGSU activism
While advocating for all marginalized individuals, Winger spends majority of her time organizing around reproductive justice.
“My activism is rooted in radical love for myself and others who fight every day against the oppressive systems in society who want nothing more than to see us fail,” she said.
“It means showing up, speaking out, spreading love and never backing down.” Taking her advocacy past the University, she will attend George Washington University to study public policy with a women’s gender and sexualities study focus in the fall.
Her plan is to organize more around access to proper sex education and abortion services for people of all backgrounds.
“With the current administration, it’s so essential we work hard to protect the rights surrounding autonomous reproductive decisions, and push for more,” Winger said. This year, Winger participated in Bowling Green’s annual Take Back the Night, co-planned Queer Carnival,
“It means showing up, speaking out, spreading love and never backing down.”
— Gabby Winger
planned Coming out Week’s Candlelight Walk honoring the victims of the Pulse shooting and is currently working on Queer Prom scheduled for April 14.
“I’m an advocate because in a society where racial injustice and violence, patriarchal dominance and oppression, homophobic discrimination with a heavy focus on transphobic oppression and violence all occur on a daily basis, it’s so essential that we do what we can to fight back against the oppressive forces and speak up for those who may not be able to,” she said.
“The way I see it, if we want our society to be different and not only more accepting but affirming and encouraging of people of all identities, we have to put in work to make it that way.”
Jackson’s main area of activism is empowering conscious artists, “especially in their strength of their self-esteem and identity because I believe media is foundation of our current society.”
She said media teaches society what issues to pay attention to, who to vote for, how to dress, what new words to say and how to treat each other.
“If we empower the artists to change the message, we can change the culture, and can therefore empower our societies to change,” she said. In addition, she is an advocate for other people of the African diaspora and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Recently, Jackson organized the Love, Unity and Social Justice slam poetry event at V.I.B.E.
“I really wanted a space for artists and attendees of different identities to convene and speak about the issue that marginalized people have already been experiencing and are currently facing with the current administration,” she said.
“Sometimes there is too much fear and hopeless and not enough passion, candor and empowerment.” Jackson said she is an advocate because she grew up dealing with
“If you don’t value yourself, you cant value others. If you’ve never seen love, you can’t show love.”
— Ashley Jackson
colorism, depression, anxiety, bullying, sexual trauma and low self-esteem. “But creation gave me the power to lift myself out of depression and the courage to speak my mind,” she said.
“I always wanted to give the blessing that God gave me back to others. Knowing what it feels like to be hurt makes you value other people’s happiness so much more.”
Her activism is passionate, creative, spiritual, empowering and focused on giving people enlightenment or uplifting, she said.
“It is focused on attacking problems at the root. If you don’t understand who you are, you’ll never understand others. If you don’t value yourself, you cant value others.
If you’ve never seen love, you can’t show love,” she said.
The heart of Grim’s activism focuses on intersectionality. “I’m a socialist, and I advocate heavily for the interests of the working class,” she said.
“All oppression is interconnected, as well as exploited and commodified underneath capitalism.” Grim has co-organized two antiTrump protests in Findlay, a protest in front of Marathon Petroleum standing in solidarity with Standing Rock and a fight back against white supremacy rally on campus.
She’s also protested in support of a sanctuary status for the University. In addition, she protested in Toledo on International Working Women’s Day and in support for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics, and went to Washington D.C. for Inauguration Day and the following Women’s March.
“I am an advocate because I want to work for a better world,” Grim said. “I go to school because I want to be a teacher, and I want my students to understand that they have power to work for something better too.”
She said her activism is “ruthless and unapologetic because it has to be. The injustices of this world cannot be combated with compromise.”
“I am an advocate because I believe that vulnerable communities deserve compassion and justice.”
— Morgan Gale
Gale is mainly interested in reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, intimate partner violence prevention and intersectional feminism, as well as the refugee crisis, particularly in Syria.
“I am an advocate because I believe that vulnerable communities deserve compassion and justice,” Gale said. “I can’t sit idly by while others seem to be losing hope; I need to do something.”
Most recently, Gale went on a week long trip to Richmond, Virginia, with BG Alternative Breaks to volunteer at the International Rescue Committee.On the trip she worked directly with refugee families to help them learn English.
“The experience really changed my life because I got to meet real people affected by the refugee crisis, and I was able to see how a nonprofit runs behind the scenes,” she said. “I’d like to continue working with refugees in Ohio.”
Gale said she thinks about how design can be used for social change rather than commercialism and makes artwork for social justice organizations to use in their marketing. “
As I gain more experience with design, I’d like to be involved in largerscale design projects that really work with and benefit the community,” she said.
“I am an advocate because I believe that vulnerable communities deserve compassion and justice.”
— Morgan Gale
