Deerfield Students Jam for Justice

More than 250 students spent their lunch period Friday “Jamming for Justice” helping the promote awareness of poverty and worse in Africa while raising money to make a difference.

Taking donations and selling baked goods along with other foods, members of the club hope to raise $1,000 of which $400 will keep a school going in Africa.

“Our goal is to raise $1,000 so we can back a school in Africa,” Chandana Vuyyuru, one of the event’s three organizers said. “Our school has the ability to keep it (the African school) running. We can keep the whole school going for a year.”

Jam for Justice was the club’s main event for the year. It began a few years ago trying to raise awareness of genocide in Darfur. A year ago it pointed attention at the plight of child soldiers in Africa working with .

“We do this because we can,” Naomi Choi, another event organizer, said. “We want to raise awareness. It’s great the way everyone is helping out,” she added about the throngs of students listening to music and having lunch for a cause.

The third event organizer, Cassidy Rappaport, knows firsthand child soldiers are not exclusive to Africa. After graduating in January she spent the last four months teaching and working on human rights issues in Thailand, India and Burma. There are child soldiers in Burma as well.

Rappaport may have been working for human rights in foreign lands the last few months, but this was an event she was not going to miss as she gets ready to receive her diploma May 29 with the rest of her class.

“I’m so proud of our class,” Rappaport said. “I’m so happy our school was able to help out this way.”

One of the club’s sponsors, social studies teacher Niki Antonakos, credits the effort of the club’s members for organizing their classmates. “They are always ready to do so much,” she said. “They really raise awareness of human rights issues.”

Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal, who was one of three local officials to attend the event, could not stop singing the praises of the Human Rights Club and the Deerfield students in general.

“I am amazed every time I go to the high school,” Rosenthal said at Monday’s Village Board Meeting. “I was there Friday (for Jam for Justice). They do amazing things.” Rosenthal was joined by West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison and state Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park) Friday.

There are approximately 20 core members of the Human Rights Club which can expand to more than 80 through email organizing when the need arises.

To better keep up with Deerfield news, follow Patch on Twitter and Facebook.