Don’t talk about it at the dinner table. Don’t ask strangers their thoughts on it. Maybe you shouldn’t even involve yourself in it that much.
One of the topics considered most controversial today, politics, is now the focus of a White Station High School (WSHS) club.
The Civics and Politics Club was started back in August by Addis Shiberou (11) in light of election season. They meet every other Tuesday from 2:30 to 3:30 in Lauren Larson’s room, E206, where Shiberou often introduces a current topic and members discuss their views about it or they contact legislators via email.
“I noticed a lot of things were happening locally that kids don’t really hear about, but that’s the stuff that will affect them the most,” Shiberou said. “So I just wanted to make a club to first get people aware of those issues, and then try to do something about them.”
To some, discussing controversial issues, specifically controversial political issues, seems unproductive or even counterproductive. For Politics Club members, discussion is one of the most important aspects of the club and is the basis of almost every club meeting. Daniel Collins (11) joined the Politics Club after being invited by a friend but continued going to meetings because of the discussions.
“Because there’s a reason that it’s controversial, that’s why we should talk about it,” Collins said.
But not all meetings are discussion, as many meetings consist of reaching out to representatives to voice their opinions as constituents. In one meeting, Councilwoman Jerri Green, a former WSHS alumni, came to speak on the gun referendums that were passed by city council. The referendums were questions about gun regulation at the end of the election ballot for Memphis voters; Green also touched on other topics like women’s rights.
“So I wanted to get a local leader to visit and talk to us about local politics because I don’t think many people know how that works,” Shiberou said. “Even [though I didn’t] know a whole lot about it, of course, I came out of the visit knowing more. I just did some research on the city council people. I saw that she actually went [to WSHS] and, you know, she’s very qualified so I reached out to her, and she said yes.”
More recently, meetings have focused on the Memphis Shelby County Schools takeover, which was a bill at the Tennessee state legislature that proposed appointing a board of managers over the Memphis Shelby County Schools elected school board. They emailed John Gillespie, the Tenn. house representative for District 97 — the district WSHS is in — and asked him to take action against the bill. However, they were told they were within the minority in that most people were in favor of the state takeover.
“I emailed him asking about the state takeover and [said] ‘could you please do what you can to stop this bill or oppose this bill’ and that most of the people I know don’t want this to happen,’” Shiberou said. “He [said],‘it’s been decades of failure. We just gave the Shelby County School System a $150-plus million a year recurring pay increase with absolutely nothing to show for it.’”
This response prompted them to poll — through flyers with QR codes — students and teachers on their views on the MSCS takeover. The poll had over 262 participants in total, 208 of which disagreed with the takeover. These results were then sent to Representative John Gillespie; they have yet to receive a response. The bill has since been rejected, but the poll is still in progress. The club plans to contact local news with the results and share them further as well as post them on their Instagram, @wshscivicsandpolitics. Alexandra Byrd (11) is a member of the club who participated in this campaign.
“[John Gillespie] was like ‘we give [money] to the Memphis school system’ like it’s a gift, like, we don’t deserve money for schools, which is very odd,” Byrd said.
Although many at WSHS were introduced to the Civics and Politics Club through this campaign, to members, it represents more than just that one campaign: it’s an opportunity to become civically engaged and aware.
“I’m 17,” Byrd said. “I’m going to be able to vote next year so if I don’t know what’s going on now and the history of our politics … then, you know, that would be an issue.”
The club helps students become more engaged because, for many, it’s a space like no other as students are free to express their views with no fear of negative backlash, despite the controversial nature of the topics discussed. This freedom of expression makes the club a place where views can not only be discussed but also challenged, fostering engagement. For Collins, the environment of the club helps lessen the polarization of politics.
“I’d say because I was comfortable with the people in that group without them looking down at me [I was able to express my opinion],” Collins said.
