Student-Run Business Gains Traction and Raises Over $3000 For Racial Justice Organizations

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Courtesy of Eva Benzan

For the past two months Eva Benzan has been selling jewelry to raise money for racial justice organizations. Eva’s non-profit, Earrings 4 Equity, uses Instagram and Etsy to sell jewelry and spread awareness.

Gabby Laurente and Julia Lehman
September 6, 2020

Earrings 4 Equity is a nonprofit student-run jewelry business in which all proceeds collected go directly to racial justice organizations. The business is run by none other than SJHHS senior Eva Benzan. After the Black Lives Matter movement began receiving more attention from the people and media, Benzan, who is an avid political activist, began collecting funds to help the movement in any way possible. 

“I was really involved in the Black Lives Matter protests when they first gained a lot of prominence around June, and by July most of the activism that I was seeing had died down,” said Benzan. 

After COVID-19 began sweeping across the nation, people’s free time increased severely. To fill this time, Eva began designing custom earrings in an attempt to help the Black Lives Matter movement. Her sales first began with friends and family, and have now reached people from across the U.S. “I definitely didn’t expect people that I didn’t know to be interested,” said Benzan, “but the response has been amazing and it’s so heartwarming to know that there are people all across the country that value what I’m trying to do.”

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I definitely didn’t expect people that I didn’t know to be interested, but the response has been amazing and it’s so heartwarming to know that there are people all across the country that value what I’m trying to do.

— Eva Benzan

Her business began on July 1st of 2020. It has since garnered the sale of over 500 pairs of earrings and has grown from a simple Instagram account to an Etsy shop. 

“Such cute earrings and supports so many great organizations! Eva was super nice, answered all my questions right away, and my package shipped really fast. Love this shop!” said Grace, a customer who sent in a five star review to the Earrings 4 Equity Etsy shop. 

Benzan was motivated to start her business by all the negative energy that began to surround the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“I would say the most exact moment that inspired me to start this business was going to the BLM protest in San Clemente and seeing how much hate there was and how much work needed to be done to fix so many of the racial disparities in so many of our systems, and that really sparked a passion in me to do something that mattered,” Benzan said. 

Throughout this journey, Benzan recognizes her mother as her most helpful and unwavering supporter. “She has supported [my business] since the beginning and always offers to help, I really appreciate it.”

Benzan hopes to take this business as far as it can go. “I’d like to be able to do it until I go off to college at the end of next summer and maybe even once I go to college if time allows,” said Benzan.

Earrings 4 Equity inspires one to become a more active member in the community and shows people that anyone can make a change if the right amount of effort is put in. The business has received a remarkable amount of support since its beginning, and has given people hope for the future of the movement. After making her first sale, Benzan said “I felt really excited [and] hopeful for the future of the business, but more so for the future in general because there were so many people that wanted to make real change as much as I did.”