Have you noticed that many of the reproductive rights rallies and anti-Trump protests in Northampton over the last several years have been organized by teenagers? Marisol Pierce Bonifaz, Joey Pisani and Alice Jenkins are three of these amazing young feminist organizers working locally. For Pierce Bonifaz, the turning point came in 2018, when the Brett Kavanaugh hearings motivated her to become a feminist at just 12 years old.
In 2022, Pierce Bonifaz launched the Amherst chapter of Generation Ratify — a youth-led organization founded in Virginia in 2019 to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and advance gender equality in the United States. Under the leadership of Pierce Bonifaz, Amherst Generation Ratify became a force in the Pioneer Valley — organizing multiple rallies, banner drops, three walkouts, a flash mob, an art show, a film screening, lobby days at the state capitol and so much more. In July, they allied with Young Climate Action Now to host the 2025 Little Leaders Convention for 10- to 13-year-olds, designed to “empower the next generation of ecofeminists.”
Reflecting on the power of youth activism, Pierce Bonifaz made her message clear: “Young people are now, more than ever, the catalysts for the movement for a free and fair democracy. We demand the Equal Rights Amendment be recognized as the 28th Amendment and comprehensive sexual education across Amherst and the commonwealth. Bodily autonomy and gender equality are long overdue.”
When asked about youth activism, Pisani remarked, “Being a young organizer is all about staying in the fight … Staying involved, engaged, educated and loud is what matters and what can help inspire people to do the same, too.”
Generation Ratify became the Young Feminist Party in 2024, and recently partnered with another national youth-led organization, Feminist Front, to form Feminist Generation.
Pierce Bonifaz graduated in May and is now attending Barnard College, but the work she began continues. Stepping into her very big shoes are two rising juniors at Amherst Regional High School: Inanna Balkin and Olive Paradis. Balkin first became involved in feminist activism at the age of 12 after her grandmother recommended Elizabeth Warren’s “Persist,” a book Balkin credits with sparking her passion. Inspired by Balkin’s commitment, Paradis joined the group.
For Balkin, the motivation behind her commitment comes from living through this moment of shrinking rights: Being a young woman at a time when the right to bodily autonomy is being continuously attacked is incredibly scary. It’s hard to think that you are growing up with fewer rights than your parents, fighting for something your grandparents fought for and thought they had won. It makes one feel powerless. However, joining and working with Feminist Generation has been an incredibly empowering experience, providing young people with a chance to do work on issues from reproductive justice and LGBTQ rights to civic engagement and youth empowerment.
For older feminists, it is heartbreaking to watch young women forced to re-fight the battles we thought we had won half a century ago. It’s infuriating to hear men tell young women to abandon their careers for marriage and motherhood, ignoring the importance of economic independence and pursuing meaningful careers for women’s liberation. We are appalled by the rightward shift of young men in the last election and by the corrosive impacts of the misogynist manosphere on relationships between men and women. Yet we are thrilled that young people are stepping up and joining hands with older feminists to continue the fight — not only here in the Pioneer Valley, but far beyond.
In March 2025, more than 300 young feminists from 76 schools across 22 states gathered at the National Young Feminist Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. to raise their voices, build power and fuel a movement. Sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation, the conference was a weekend of powerful workshops, panels and strategy sessions equipping the next generation of activists for the fights and struggles ahead. The weekend culminated with Congressional Visit Day, as more than 100 students continued the long feminist tradition of confronting power by meeting directly with their representatives on Capitol Hill.
The Amherst chapter of Feminist Generation has ambitious plans for next year. With support from a grant by the League of Women Voters, they are launching an initiative to promote youth voter engagement in the 2026 elections. Alongside this work, they are researching gender-based wage gaps in local governments and at the University of Massachusetts, and joining with Planned Parenthood to implement a comprehensive sex education curriculum at Amherst Regional High School.
Now more than ever, intergenerational feminist activism matters — in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Working together is how we will resist the Trump administration’s rollback of women’s rights and fight for a more equitable and just future.
Feminist Generation is open to youth ages 12 to 35. To join, email amherstfeministgeneration@gmail.com. For updates, follow them on Instagram @femgen.amherst.
Inanna Balkin is a junior at Amherst Regional High School. She was a member of Gov. Maura Healey’s inaugural Youth Climate Council and is co-director of the Amherst chapter of Feminist Generation. Carrie N. Baker is a professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College and a regular contributor to Ms. Magazine.