Stonington — A group of about 70 area high school students gathered at La Grua Center Thursday for a workshop on social justice and promoting social change.

The 45 students from the More Than Words clubs at Fitch, New London, and Ledyard high schools were joined by approximately 30 students from Fitch High Schools’ African American, Black, Latino studies course, originally developed and taught by current Assistant Principal Carmita Hodge.

The workshop coincides with La Grua’s “3 Steps Forward 2 Steps Back” exhibit, which combines art with historical perspectives on social justice and features the works of artist Pamela Pike Gordinier and some of the students from Hodge’s class.

“Students do have a voice,” said More Than Words Regional Director Michael Graner.

He told the assembled students, “If you open your eyes and your ears, you find out that there are allies—people who are supporting you, people who want to hear your voice, people who want to basically promote the fairness and kindness and the other aspects of social justice that we all hope to achieve—and it’s important to figure out who those people are.”

More Than Words was developed during a time of tension between white and Native American students at Ledyard High School. New London school officials told Graner, superintendent of Ledyard Public Schools at the time, that racial tensions also simmered in New London and the two school districts joined forces with Mashantucket Pequot tribal leaders to form a group in which the students would become the agents for change. When Graner later moved to the Groton schools, that district became part of the program.

Besides bringing students of diverse backgrounds together to address social justice issues, the students both participate in and lead workshops aimed at greater understanding of and better appreciation for people of diverse backgrounds. Students also present workshops for elementary and middle school students, helping the younger children develop skills they need to curb bullying and empathize with victims of hateful speech and actions.

Currently, each of the three schools has a group of about 15 students who meet once or twice a month to address issues of social justice at their respective schools, and the three school groups meet as a whole five to six times a year. This offers students opportunities to have a voice on issues of social justice not just in their schools but in the larger world around them.

Students at Thursday’s workshop broke into small groups to discuss what social justice means to them and what they can do, as students, to promote it.

Many of the discussions focused on racial and gender privilege, and education because, as one group noted, “to create change, we need a group, but it starts with one person.”

“Everyone deserves equality,” said Raine Pongetti, 14, a Ledyard High School student. “It’s our job to educate,” she said, adding that students should work towards helping people get the resources they need to understand racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.

“There will always be the people that aren’t going to listen,” she said, and added that, as students, they need to spread awareness and educate people about equity, even in the face of obstacles.

One group mentioned that sharing experiences and histories can educate people about the harmfulness of racial, ethnic, and homophobic slurs and bigotry disguised as humor. They discussed the use of social media and student advisory periods to provide teaching opportunities and encourage others to find empathy and understanding.

Other groups mentioned having more racial representation among their educators, as highlighted by Aliyah Dantzler, a 17-year-old More Than Words member from Ledyard High School, who noted a lack of diversity among the staff at her school.

“We don’t have one black teacher,” she said.

Social justice is not limited to race and ethnicity, however, but extends to gender identity and preference as well, noted New London High School student Jose Rivera, 16.

“There’s a certain amount of disconnection between students and staff,” he said, though he clarified that diversity among staff at his school was not an issue, but rather the issues tend to be more focused on LGBTQ+ issues such as using preferred pronouns and homophobic or racial slurs.

“It really is an amazing experience and a diverse culture,” he said of his school, “but it simply can’t be ignored that, not only is there a disconnection in terms of the students and staff, but there also is a certain amount of issue with slurs being thrown around, and how people use certain words, like how the n-word is passed around.”

Nonetheless, Rivera said that for him the solution is simple: “put down your identity; put down who you are and make a push to realize we’re all human in the end.”