March 22, 2016
FIRE members receive award, advocate for reproductive rights
On March 8, a group of young activists from Feminists Igniting Resistance and Empowerment, or FIRE, an official student organization, traveled to the Capitol to receive the Voices for Choice Next Generation award. Rep. Sydney Carlin, on behalf of Trust Women, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, and the Kansas Coalition of Pro-Choice Organizations, presented the award.
Kayla Clark, Haley Kottler and Misty Opat accepted the award on behalf of FIRE and spent the rest of their time in Topeka advocating for reproductive rights, such as "opt-out" sexual education, access to safe abortion procedures and telemedicine. Partnering with Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, or URGE, FIRE has been able to better advocate for safe sex, choice and bodily autonomy on the K-State Manhattan campus, and statewide. Through URGE, there are multiple advocacy days, conferences and workshops each semester for young students to learn how to better advocate for reproductive justice.
For more information about FIRE, an American ethnic student organization focused on providing spaces and empowering the voices of those who have been historically marginalized, silenced or erased, please contact Lain Littlejohn, FIRE's president at alaina1@k-state.edu for meeting times and information.