Pushing the movement for sexual health and rights will drive this world to a more equal place, because with its diverse base, the movement touches on so many aspects of our society today.

Phy Tran is a member of the Young Women of Color Leadership Council.

On a February weekend in 2009, I attended a Model United Nations conference where I learned about the atrocious genocide in Darfur. Shocked and troubled by the serious violations of human rights in Sudan, I decided to abandon my lifelong dream of becoming the next Le Corbusier and started involving with STAND for Darfur, marking the beginning of my activism. Ever since, I’ve volunteered for several local organizations before eventually spending a year with AmeriCorps in Chicago.

The work I’ve done in the past two year has gone from Sudan to a wide range of challenges facing inner city youth – including sexual health and rights. Frank discussion of sexuality is a tool of empowerment where we can find connections to each other and to our inner selves. Pushing the movement for sexual health and rights will drive this world to a more equal place, because with its diverse base, the movement touches on so many aspects of our society today.