Radical Brownies

documentary short

21:30

Berets, badges, Black Lives Matter and social justice: the youth group for activist girls of colour.

The Radical Monarchs is an alternative to the Scout movement for girls of colour in Oakland, California. Its members earn badges not for sewing or selling cookies, but for completing challenges on social justice including Black Lives Matter, ‘radical beauty’, being ‘an LGBTQ ally’ and the environment.

The Monarchs' critics accuse them of brainwashing their children and unnecessarily segregating them. But their warm welcome in Oakland and the demand from across the US and around the world for similar groups suggests that they've tapped into something that's needed.

Commissioned for the Guardian Bertha documentary partnership