On Jan. 18, the school’s chapter of Amnesty International hosted a letter-writing session in the Commons. According to organizers, the event was a huge success, with the group collecting nearly 250 letters.

Amnesty International is a global organization of over 10 million supporters, which works worldwide to end human rights abuses of asylum-seekers, refugees, peaceful protesters, and people on the frontlines of the world’s most pressing crises. Across the US, Amnesty International chapters and student groups write letters and make donations to support the organization.
The club was brought to the school in 2022, and since then, they’ve been holding fundraisers and awareness events. Every year, Amnesty International sends a list of nations facing oppression or human rights violations to its student groups and chapters, giving them the option of focusing on one or more of the countries on the list. This year, the school’s chapter decided to focus on Russia, Iran, China and Paraguay.

The club’s letter-writing campaign was held in the Commons on Jan. 18 and invited students to write letters that would be sent to the club’s focus countries. The letters’ main goal was to place pressure on politicians to release political prisoners who had been imprisoned for speaking out against their government. “The letters also show solidarity, so that the oppressed people know that there is support and that others care about their cause,” junior and club co-president Angela Wang said.
The group had initially wanted to make the letters a mandatory event in English or social studies classes, but they didn’t want to force teachers to shift lesson plans to accommodate. They also thought about making the letters a homeroom activity but feared that students wouldn’t participate. Finally, the club decided to hold the event in the Commons at lunch, so that people could participate on their own time, maximizing interaction and making the activity fun.

The club was founded by junior Kristina Khrimian, along with Wang. Khrimian personally connects with the organization through her Armenian roots and feels an especially strong association with Amnesty International’s objectives. “In 2020, it really hit me hard to see my homeland country, Armenia, going through oppression and torture by Azerbaijan. And what was even more saddening was that the whole world was standing in silence, and nothing was being done on an international level to stop the conflicts and oppression of Armenians. So I thought Amnesty’s activism would be a good way to have a positive impact on other countries. Hopefully, our work can give a voice to smaller nations so they can receive the help and the support that they ultimately deserve,” Khrimian said.

If students are looking to support the club, they can do so by participating in future events or joining the club to help plan events. Looking forward, the group plans to host a bake sale with the Reform for Russia club to raise money for Eastern European countries heavily impacted by threats to national security and human rights. “I believe in supporting human rights. I’m a strong proponent of supporting people, here, within my own sphere and from other spheres around the world. I want to help those who have been wrongfully treated. It’s for humanity, that’s why I’m interested,” club sponsor and art teacher Malinda Pierce said.