Seattle Preparatory School has a long history of love and inclusion. Originally an all boys school, Prep’s first young women graduated in 1975, helping the school to achieve its goal of providing a Jesuit education to all students. Prep has always sought to uphold all peoples’ right to education and respect. Following that, the Seattle Prep Feminist Interest Group (FIG) started up this first semester.

FIG follows a modern model of feminism that expands to include LGBTQ+ women and women of color. It focuses on gender and sexuality as a spectrum and rejects the ideas of institutional gender roles and expectations. This modern wave of feminism has turned the dialogue towards the uncomfortable topics previously avoided such as gender violence, reproductive rights, sexual assault, and inequality in the workplace.

Rooted in gender equality, FIG is a co-ed organization that has members of all genders. The goal of the group is to start a conversation among students about their own rights and values and those of others. FIG is committed to helping students live up to the five characteristics of the Grad at Grad, especially being committed to doing justice. FIG founder, Avery Brown, wants it to be known that: “FIG is about love and breaking down harmful stereotypes for both men and women.”

Brown is leading FIG in collaboration with other schools to put on FemCon, a conference for students from 25 different high schools. The conference, which will be held on May 7th at the MLK Community Center, is being organized by representatives from Seattle Prep and other local high schools both public and private. The conference will include guest speakers and nine workshops that will cover important topics like race, sex education, and religion.

FemCon has received outstanding support with organizations coming to it looking to get involved. Local pizzeria, Pagliacci, will be donating food and other sponsors plan to support the event. Additionally, the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) will attend the event. The conference has been in the works for about two months. Look out for the launch of FemCon’s website and a piece on it in the Seattle Stranger in coming weeks.

FIG meets most Fridays and all are welcome.