The Radical Monarchs

The Radical Monarchs from Oakland, California are not your usual girl scout group. They are young girls of colour aged between 8 and 12, who focus on social justice and issues that specifically affect them.

Formerly known as the Radica Brownies - the group was founded in 2014 by Marilyn Hollinquest and Anayvette Martinez, two parents who believed an alternative group for their girls needed to be formed.

“The reason we have a separate girls groups is because we didn’t see anyone that talked about social justice and also talk about young women of colour’s experience explicitly”, says Hollinquest.

Both mother’s strongly believe that surrounding their daughters with other young girls who look like them and share the same experiences is crucial to their character building and upbringing. The content taught in their group meetings ranges from racial injustices, transphobia, people with disabilities, self defence and woman empowerment.

“We absolutely had to get our girls into something where they can not only feel important, beautiful and radical, but they also needed to be somewhere where they understood what was going on in the world around them and their place in the world and in their community.”

Despite their efforts to create positive change within their community, the Radical Monarchs have still faced heavy criticism. A story broadcasted on FOX News expressed concern that the girls were being exploited. One news reporter commented “We think they’re being exploited…how irresponsible is it of the leader of this troop to be teaching these young girls, really indoctrinating their thought”. One reporter even stated that they group is "raising little racists". 

In response to this, Martinez reinforced the importance of the group, “This is not about indoctrinating young girls, but this is about opening their lens to see things a different way.”

The young girls do in fact have a say in the subjects they learn about. “We ask the girls, what do you want to learn about? What do you want to do? What kind of activities do you want to do together?", said Martinez. Both mother's are adamant that educating and informing young girls within their community on real life issues and realities is vital, as well as surrounding them with other girls/families of colour who share similar experiences.