In the United States, citizens have started to focus on the inequities in our justice system. Students Chloe Pemberton and Zahra DeShaw have come together to form the Justice for Our Youth club (JOY) that meets every Wednesday at lunch in room 146.

With the U.S. holding only five percent of the world’s total population, but 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population, mass incarceration is a problem that is concealed by politics and laws. DeShaw and Pemberton feel it’s important to educate the Lincoln community on the issue while providing a safe place for student voices to be heard.

Freshman Jaden Schiffhauer is a part of JOY Club. “I’ve really opened my eyes to… the subject of mass incarceration in a variety of perspectives,” she says.

In the future, JOY wants to expand their club into an organization.

“Our future plans are [to create] events in which people can come to and learn, not just from our school but from our community… where they can hear a side of the story from the incarcerated community that gets forgotten,” says De Shaw.

JOY wants to provide a space where they can give people who are oppressed by the justice system a place to speak out. Their goal is to get a large audience to learn, be open minded and take action. Hopefully the club’s magnitude can influence our lawmakers to push for changes.

“If we unite, we really have a lot of power,” says DeShaw.