JUSTice......Do It!
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Our Mission │ Contact Information │ History │Activities│Shantytown│Forums│Movie Nights│Trick or Treat for Canned Goods│Relay for Life│Service Days│Vigils and Protests│Calendar of Events│Cool Links │
"If we do not change our consciousness, we cannot change our actions or demand change from others"
-bell hooks
The mission of the Bellarmine University Students for Social Justice is to raise awareness, educate on human rights issues, and work for social justice within the Bellarmine University community, Louisville, and the global community.
Feel free to contact us through either our advisor, our chairperson, or our vice-chairperson.
Advisor Information Chairperson Information Vice-Chairperson
Adam Renner Paul Sehlinger Ashley Nett
arenner@bellarmine.edu psehlinger@aol.com anett01@bellarmine.edu
or
(502) 452-8135
Founded in 2000, the Students for Social Justice has grown greatly in size and in the number of issues that the club has undertaken and worked with. Past accomplishments of the club have included getting the Worker's Rights Consortium implemented to make sure that Bellarmine's bookstore does not sell clothing made in sweat shops. Also, the club has sponsored numerous forums, movie nights, the Shantytown project, and has a continued relationship with the Wayside Christian Mission in Louisville, KY.
At various times throughout the school year, the Students for Social Justice sponsors activities which are open to the whole community. These activities focus on various issues and are different ways of responding to issues of social justice. A brief description of some of these events are as follows:
Shantytown (formerly known as Cardboard Village) is an multi-day, overnight educational and experiential project that focuses on homelessness and the causes of homelessness. The experience is open to all Bellarmine students, faculty and staff. The project is meant not only to educate, but also to raise awareness on the issue of homelessness that many people forget when they are in the comfort of their homes. Participants live in the Quad of campus for three days without showers and eating the food that is provided to them which is comparable to that of a homeless shelter. Service is also incorporated within the project and continued contact with the homeless through the use of the clubs association with Wayside Christian Mission is encouraged (see service days below). It is also a fundraiser to help fund the clubs service events. Below are pictures from past Shantytown experiences:
Kevin DeMaria, Rob Berry and Aaron Frazita A view of the town.
well into their experience.
Our fearless advisor, Adam Renner, gets Another view of town.
some shut eye in the town.
Forums are held to discuss pertinent issues to the political and sociological issues occurring at that time. Past forums have been on topics such as the death penalty, racism, living wage, same sex marriage, and the war in Iraq.
Movie Nights are held once a month and use movies that relate to the forum that is being held around the same time as the movie. Past movies have included American History X, Schindler's List, and Dead Man Walking. The next movie night is:
We will be viewing
Trick or Treat for Canned Goods
Each Halloween the Students for Social Justice dust off their Halloween costumes. However instead of going out for a bag full of candy, the students are looking to help a greater cause. The Trick or Treat for Canned Goods project helps to collect canned goods for Kentucky Harvest. This past year, the students were able to fill up an SUV with all of their donations thanks to the generosity of our neighbors here in the Highlands.
This year, the Students for Social Justice have decided to join forces with the Catholic Students Association and the American Cancer Society to fight cancer. If you would like to help with this cause check out the American Cancer Society's web page and search for the Bellarmine University location event.
Each semester, the Students for Social Justice sponsor service days at Wayside Christian Mission. These service days help to provide the maintenance and upkeep for both a hallway and a room that the club sponsors. The days are meant to help to continue the experience of Shantytown and provide a way for the club to respond to the issue of homelessness.
Another component to the Students for Social Justice is its involvement with vigils and protests to help support various causes. In the past such causes have included the support of the Immokalee Workers and the calling for the shut down to the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia also known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Below are pictures from this past year's vigil in Georgia:
http://www.CIW-ONLINE.ORG- Support the Immokalee Workers Boycott Taco Bell
http://www.soaw.org/new/- Support the Call to Close the School of the Americas
http://www.moveon.org -Get the right information
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/10/06ky/met-front-shanty1006-6572.html
-News from Shantytown II
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