I first heard Rasleen Krupp speak at the Cincinnati Womens’ March last year. She is a high school junior at Wyoming High School and founder of the Young Feminists Coalition. With the recent national school walkout and upcoming March for Our Lives, I’m honored to introduce you to Rasleen. If students like her represent our future, our future looks bright.
1. How did you become interested in activism?
I became interested in activism after the last election. I realized that the administration stood for things that I did not stand for. Because of this, I decided to fight back. If things aren’t how you want them to be, you should be a part of the force to change them.
2. Tell us about the Young Feminists Coalition and what it’s working on.
The Young Feminists Coalition is a group I started to unite young feminists around the area. We are still getting started and had our first event on International Women’s Day that was full of speeches from youth and influential community members (including Aftab Pureval!). My main goal for the group is to create change, as cliche as that sounds. I want the youth of our local area to fight for a better future, and the way we are doing that currently is through the planning for Cincinnati’s March For Our Lives, which will be on March 24 at 11 AM at Cincinnati City Hall.
3. Who inspires you?
The mentors who guide me inspire me. People like Debbie Smith Webster, Billie Mays, and Marguerite Boeckmann. They have been in the fight for social justice for many years now, but still haven’t given up. I find their courage and power incredibly inspiring. Also, any woman who runs for office inspires me. As someone who wants to run for office in the future, I look up to the women who have taken a risk and run for public office.
4. What’s the good/bad about being a young leader for social justice?
The good is that I haven’t been doing this for very long, so I haven’t had time to get discouraged by the world. I’m hoping that stays the same throughout my life. It is very easy to give up on the fight for social justice, especially because change is such a slow process. However, it’s important to remember that we must push forward.
The bad is that people often doubt me because of my age. They say I don’t have the life experience to understand the things I am fighting for. However, I am a woman, aren’t I? And I am a student who has to go to school in fear of being gunned down at any second. Just because I haven’t been on this earth for decades doesn’t mean that I am not affected by current events, and it certainly doesn’t mean I shouldn’t fight for the things I believe in.
5. Where do you go from here? What’s next?
Right now, I am very busy planning my school walkout and the March For Our Lives. Both of these events have pretty much taken up all of my free time, so it’s hard to think about what’s next. I did go to New York City this weekend for the Commission on the Status of Women, and listening to the stories of such influential females has inspired me and given me many goals for the future. I want the Young Feminists Coalition to inspire young girls to run for office in the future. I also want us to engage in charitable work, whether it be local or international.
6. What one question am I not asking you that I should be asking? And your answer?
“Who are you doing this for?”
I am doing all of this for the people who do not have a voice. This might be by choice, or they may be restricted from using it. Whatever the case may be, I want to make sure that I bring to light the many different struggles that women and girls face. No female should have to suffer alone in silence.
7. How can people get involved with the Young Feminists Coalition?
Getting involved is incredibly easy! All you have to do is find us on social media, and perhaps send me a message. Our Facebook is Young Feminists Coalition. Our instagram is @youngfeministscoalition. And our Twitter is @youngfeministsc.
You can message me through any of these accounts, or email me at raskrupp@gmail.com.
And if you’re in Cincinnati, hope to see you at the Cincinnati March for Our Lives!