Local activist Sarah Granke grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her decision to become involved in the city’s feminist activist community was influenced greatly by her family and her studies at the University of Manitoba.

Her mother convinced her to take a course in Women’s and Gender Studies. It was there that Granke found the tools she had been looking for to become something more than what she already was.

From there, Granke became involved in the Womyn’s Centre, radical cheerleading, FemRev Collective and the RebELLE’s Movement, as well as Réseau Actions Femmes.

Growing up, Granke noticed that there was a lot of sexism and homophobia in society. She often heard phrases like, “That’s so gay.”

Looking back, she’s not surprised by that.

“We just live in a very heterosexist society,” she says. “What I mean by that is that everything around us, from the images we see in magazines, on TV, and all of that, to what is considered ‘normal,’ is straight couples, right? All the movies you see. It’s a little different now, like (the) shows, even just Glee.”

In the Women’s and Gender Studies classes she found what she had been looking for.

“Studying Women’s and Gender Studies at university opened a whole lot of new doors for me and gave me the vocabulary and language I needed to express the inequalities around me. It made me really question a lot of things in my life - a lot of different beliefs and values that I had.”

Taking those courses led Granke to do some soul-searching. What she found was a passion for standing up against the oppression of women. From there she became involved in radical cheerleading and the Womyn’s Centre.

“ I’ll always be involved in my community and working toward change.

Sarah Granke, activist

She helped organize the Take Back the Night march which raised awareness about the need for women’s safety in the streets of Winnipeg.

Granke has also been a part of the RebELLEs young feminist movement on a local, national and international level, as a regional mobilizer, coordinator of the 2nd pan-Canadian young feminist gathering and as a representative at meetings of the World March of Women.

Each of the organizations work towards ending violence against women and ending all forms of oppression that impact them.

Now, Granke spends her time working with Teen Talk through Klinic as a Youth Health Educator. She goes to different schools and alternative groups to talk about sexuality, communication, dating, relationships, body image and mental health.

She has taken some time away from all of the groups she’s been involved in for the past several years to recharge and regroup.

“I’m slowly getting back to the point where I feel refueled and re-energized, and I’m inspired to be more active again. Will I get as involved in things as I have in the past? Likely. I’ll always be involved in my community and working toward change.”

Cameron Schile and Kayla Palfi are Grade 11 students at Nelson McIntyre Collegiate. This article was written for The Uniter as part of their course work.

Published in Volume 67, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 21, 2012)