Up-and-coming actress helps start a club on campus to empower the women of El Camino

As Fredonia Dexter calls the first-ever S.H.A.D.E.S meeting to order, it is apparent that her positive demeanor is able to command a room. Her laid-back fashion sense is largely contrasted by her excitable personality; her rally cries for change are quickly heard by all who listen.

Her inviting smile makes those around her feel at home and her hearty laugh brings an air of ease and familiarity into any room that she enters.

Yet she is a force to be reckoned with.

Fredonia is a 22-year-old acting and language/culture studies major at El Camino. Born and raised in Hawthorne, Fredonia grew up close to the entertainment industry and could not help but be attracted by it.

But while acting is Fredonia’s dream, many say that her passion is empowering and lifting up women on campus.

“I want every woman to know that someone cares, someone’s listening, and we’ve all been (in a similar situation),” Fredonia says.

She feels that with today’s political climate, it is vital to support women, especially since “support and positivity for all seem to be on the decline.”

In order to fulfill her desire to support women from all walks of life on campus, Fredonia help found the S.H.A.D.E.S (Supporting Highly Ambitious Divas & Empowering Sisterhoods) club with El Camino’s adjunct counselor Lateaira Boyd.

She desperately wanted to have somewhere for the women of El Camino to share their grievances (or to simply have a place to meet new people). She had never seen anything similar to it on campus and wanted to help change that as quickly as possible.

“I wanted this club to act as a safe space for women on campus … inviting all women no matter their race, culture or background is the most important aspect of the club,” Fredonia says. “I want everyone to see, hear and understand the different points of view on the issues that we are facing as women today.”

While feminism is becoming more and more mainstream with celebrities proudly claiming their involvement in the movement, Fredonia still feels as though it gets a bad rap.

“Women aren’t the only ones who can be feminists. Anyone who believes in equality and empowerment for all is a feminist,” Fredonia says.

Janni Aragon, an adjunct professor of political science and women’s studies at the University of British Columbia, wholeheartedly agrees with Fredonia’s outlook on life and appreciates her action to create a space for women, by women.

“The stereotype of the humorless, manhating feminist … is tired and usually false. Feminists and other social justice activists need to have a good sense of humor,” Janni says.

Fredonia says that the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have also been huge sources of inspiration for her. While she is unhappy to hear the injustices that these men and women had to experience for a dialogue to begin, she is motivated to use her voice for good along with those involved in the movement in Hollywood.

Janni Aragon says that the movements “are part of a reckoning. We are fed up with the status quo and are trying to make a difference.”

“I hope with the acceptance (with the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements), people will start opening their eyes to all of the injustices of the world. It may seem like a daunting task, but even the smallest step to make a change can help those less fortunate,” Fredonia says. She understands what the women and men behind the movements are going through; she has experienced sexism and racism in her dayto-day life, and the harsh words take a toll on her.

“I think the micro-aggressions (against me) are the ones that sting the most. I know that if it happens to me it is most definitely happening to other women, and I find that quite cruel and unfair and disgusting,” Fredonia says.

Some of the micro-aggressions she would experience would be backhanded comments about being beautiful, despite her skin color or “having better grammar than what is stereotypical of black people.”

Janni believes that there has always been a trope in society where women are pinned against each other and cannot have genuine and supportive relationships. Creating clubs like S.H.A.D.E.S can not only dispel these incorrect ideas, but it can create a place for different types of women to share their stories and learn more about different experiences.

The club may be small, but the impact is already quite large. With no less than 30 El Camino students at each meeting, Fredonia’s electrifying energy and desire to support other women on campus has spread throughout El Camino.

“S.H.A.D.E.S is necessary for campus life because it provides a safe haven for women to speak on shared issues that (direct) them in their own community within El Camino College and home.” Lateaira Boyd, the club’s adviser, cofounder, and adjunct counselor at El Camino says.

Lateaira further expands on the subject of explaining the importance of empowering women on campus, while echoing Fredonia’s viewpoints regarding the club.

“Having the opportunity to address and bring light to issues on campus will ultimately empower and help young women seek change and be the change for young girls and women that follow behind them,” Lateaira says.

The club leaders hope to do outreach to clubs similar to S.H.A.D.E.S. on other campuses as well as outreach with women’s shelters and schools to speak to young girls about empowerment.

The S.H.A.D.E.S. club hopes to create outreach programs with underprivileged women and give them outlets to share their stories as well as provide necessary items for their livelihoods.

“I did research on clubs like S.H.A.D.E.S. on other college campuses and found that they all had very different outlooks on empowering women. I want inclusion in all facets of empowerment for women at El Camino in our club,” Fredonia says.

Fredonia hopes that outreach with women’s shelters can bring a sense of understanding as to what those less-fortunate are going through, and a sense of hope to those suffering.

As an up-and-coming actress, Fredonia focuses solely on school and works as an extra or on commercials on TV in her free time. When thinking about what type of actress she wants to become in the future, Fredonia looks up to actresses including Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence.

“In terms of money distribution in Hollywood, there is a huge disparity. Jennifer and Emma use their platforms to spark a change for themselves, and for other women in the industry, as well. It’s very empowering,”Fredonia says.

Fredonia says that her mother is also one of her greatest inspirations.

“Ever since I can remember, I knew that I wanted to entertain and make people laugh and smile. My mom always took me to plays, which inspired me to want to do the same thing.,” Fredonia says.

Fredonia reminisces about times when her mother would take her to plays and movies as a child, and how her mother’s experience and stories about acting in plays made her want to become an actress.

Fredonia grew up in a loving, two-parent household in Hawthorne, but her mother is her biggest supporter.

“My mom simply wants me to be happy wherever I end up career-wise, but my dad has always wanted me to pursue a career with a more secure schedule and salary,” Fredonia says.

While Fredonia’s mother can’t help but worry about the uncertainty of jobs in the entertainment industry, she understands the appeal of the spotlight.

“(The industry) can also be rewarding and fulfilling like a wild but fun roller coaster ride and I’m well aware that if one is bitten and smitten with the performing arts bug, performing (or the pursuit of it) is needed like the air we breathe. We can’t do without it until we’re ready to let it go,” Louvetta says.

Fredonia feels that positivity is vital, and the being positive toward oneself and toward others will simply create a happier, safer environment for all.

“As humans, it’s our instinct to survive and thrive off living, yet we constantly find ways to bring each other down and harm one another when just living peacefully should be the goal for everyone. I hope as the years continue to go by we will all feel safe and deserving,”

While these movements may not be rooted in the most uplifting of topics, Fredonia finds a way to shed a positive light on those affected by it.

“Lifting people up and empowering them is so, so important,” Fredonia says. “We all have a voice and we all have things to say, We just need to be loud enough for someone to hear us.”