Feminism Is the Route to Peace, Say Members of HerStory

Members of HerStory, a student feminist group at Deerfield Academy, describe feminism as a route to peace and are organizing local projects; the article also reports young feminist organizers in Amherst and elsewhere are combining voter engagement, education and climate work and point to research linking greater gender equality with lower levels of violence.

Young feminist groups in western Massachusetts and beyond are organizing around equality, education and climate issues. The article highlights HerStory at Deerfield Academy and youth groups in Amherst that have staged rallies, school walkouts and partnered with national organizations. It places those efforts alongside research and activist views that associate greater gender equality with lower levels of violence. The report also recalls Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots as an example of youth-led civic engagement. Key points: - The article recalls Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots program and notes she was honored as a United Nations Messenger for Peace. - Generation Ratify in Amherst organized rallies, three school walkouts, banner drops, film and art shops, and lobbied at the state house; in July 2025 they joined Young Climate Action Now to host a Little Leader Convention for 10-to-13-year-olds. - Generation Ratify and other groups recently partnered with the national youth-led Feminist Front to form Feminist Generation; the Amherst chapter plans initiatives in 2026 to promote youth voter engagement, research gender-based wage gaps in local government, and work with Planned Parenthood on a comprehensive sex education curriculum at Amherst Regional High School. - The article reports that Vote for Equality mobilized young organizers behind 2025 progressive wins in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and it notes Abigail Spanberger was reported as winning as Virginia's first woman governor, while three progressive Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices retained their seats. - HerStory at Deerfield Academy was renamed by student leader Katie Kim; members describe feminism as partnership and local support. A sophomore named Bright Yang described joining because he recognized women’s influence in his life. Katie Kim is organizing a poetry anthology project with local women’s empowerment organizations. Summary: Youth feminist organizers in the article connect feminism, shared power and cooperation with reduced violence and more inclusive decision-making. The groups described are pursuing local projects in 2026 — including voter engagement, wage-gap research, education initiatives, and a poetry anthology — and aim to build on recent organizing and electoral activity.