social justice

K Biennial Social Justice Prize Debuts in Spring; Apply Now

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The first Kalamazoo College Global Prize for Collaborative Social Justice Leadership will be awarded the weekend of May 10-11 on the Kalamazoo College campus. Entries for the prizes are due by March 8. Jurors include human rights activist Angela Davis and Cary Alan Johnson, former executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

Two prizes will be awarded–a $25,000 Global Prize (for which regional entrants are also eligible) and a $5,000 Regional Prize that will go to projects/applicants based in the following Michigan counties: Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Van Buren, Allegan, Barry, Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon.

From all entries 20 finalists will come to campus to share their work and application video with Kalamazoo College students and the local social justice learning community. “We envision the competition as a ‘social justice TED’ sort of format,” said Jaime Grant, executive director of Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. “Applicants upload an 8-10 minute video onto our application site and fill out the one-page form there. No grant application!”

The accessible format will help uncover original grassroots thinking and practice in social justice collaboration around the globe. “We’re encouraging people to put out their breakthrough thinking and aspirations even if they don’t have a fully formed project,”explained Grant. “This competition should unearth possibility and show us new ways forward. We are equally excited to see ‘veteran’ works that demonstrate unsung and breathtaking outcomes.’’

“Prize weekend” will be a great opportunity for social justice learners. Throughout that weekend applicants will present their work in person, and K students, faculty, staff, and community members will discuss ground-breaking work with finalists in small break-out sessions.

Apply now! The deadline for entries is March 8.

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

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Willina Cain sings "Wake Up Everybody" while Corrine Taborn accompanies
Willina Cain ’15 sings “Wake Up Everybody” while Corrine Taborn ’13 accompanies.

“What’s Love got to do with it? Anti-Racist Activism in the Creation of Beloved Communities” was the topic of the Winter Quarter Week Four (Feb. 1) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel, co-sponsored by the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) and the Black Student Organization (BSO). The Reflection centered around love as an underlying motivator for social change and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy of “the beloved community” as an end result of non-violent social change. Members of BSO shared their own spoken word pieces, poems, stories, and facts on the subject of leaders from the African-American movement against racism.

Rob Relief III ’13, president of the Young Men of Color student organization, discussed the 87-year history and original aims of Black History Month. Willina Cain ’15 sang the R&B song “Wake Up Everybody” while Corinne Taborn ’13 accompanied her on piano and sang backup vocals. Rian Brown ’16 spoke about how her identity relates to Black History Month. “My ancestors fought for me to gain the privilege to stand before you today,” she said. “But has their work been completed? I know the answer to that question is ‘No.’” She encouraged audience members to shed their complacency and continue the fight for justice and equality.

Jeffery Washington ’15 read a poem he wrote with the refrain “I Black.” “My light friend says I can’t-be-seen-in-the-night-time black/ I’m too black to find that funny,” he read. “I guess I got a dark sense of humor.” Marquise Griffin ’15 read a reflection on his recent trip to Washington D.C. to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum, and his meditations on Christ’s love, which he discussed at the forum. “Dr. King stressed love when combating hate and racism, violence and discrimination,” he said. Bryce Pearson ’16 read a poem called “The Overlooked King,” reflecting on racism. “They didn’t know who I was/ They don’t know who I am/ And they really have no clue of who I will be,” he read. Brittany King-Pleas ’13 closed the Reflection by saying she hoped the audience left with more questions than answers.

Community Reflections offer a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 a.m. in Stetson Chapel. Refreshments at 10:30. The entire campus community and general public are invited.

The Week Six (Friday Feb. 15) Community Reflection is entitled “Why We Play” and features K student athletes discussion why they love to play Division III athletics. This is an annual event always full of heartfelt passion and humor. Special guest speaker is Rebecca Gray ’81. Currently a research scholar at Duke University, Becky majored in mathematics and played basketball for the Hornets. She is also Kalamazoo College’s only Rhodes Scholar.

Story and photo by Elaine Ezekiel ’13

Alumna Selected to United Nations Commission Session

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Marlene Guerrero Chavez ’08 was selected to serve as a youth delegate for the 51st session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development. The priority theme of the 10-day conference is “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration, and full employment and decent work for all.” The session takes place in New York City and will feature panel discussions, more than 30 side events, five draft resolutions, and the Civil Society Forum’s recommendations on promoting people’s empowerment to achieve social development goals.

Renowned Professor and Public Servant To Speak at Kalamazoo College

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Kenneth Marcus, the Lillie and Nathan Ackerman Chair in Equality and Justice in America at Baruch College of the City University of New York, will deliver a lecture titled “The Conundrum of Race: Civil Rights, Law, and Jewish Identity,” on Tuesday, January 29, at 7:30 P.M. in the Mandelle Hall Olmsted Room. The event is free and open to the public.

Marcus is a former staff director of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and was last month named to the “Forward 50,” the Jewish Daily Forward’s listing of the American Jews who made the most significant impact on the news last year. Marcus is the founder, president, and chief counsel of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights, which combats the resurgence of anti-Semitism in American higher education. He is the author of the award-winning book, Jewish Identity and Civil Rights in America (Cambridge University Press, 2010).

Marcus’s lecture is sponsored by K’s Jewish Studies Program and the Department of Political Science.

STEAKholders

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7 speakers from “Everyone Has a STEAK in It”
“Everyone Has a STEAK in It” speakers (l-r): Shadae Sutherland ’14, Lanna Lewis (ACSJL), DeAngelo Glaze ’14, Mariah Hennen ’15 (CES), Darwin Rodriguez ’13, Amelia Katanski ’92 (English, Farms to K), and Katherine Rapin ’15 (CES).

“Everyone Has a STEAK in It: Implications of How We Eat at K” was the theme of Winter Quarter 2013 Week One (Jan. 11) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. Sponsored by the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning, several K community members spoke about the importance of food as part of the College’s food vendor selection process continuing this quarter.

Migrant Rights Action Civic Engagement Scholar Mariah Hennen ’15 addressed the crowd of more than 100 students and faculty members on the importance of the food vendor selection. “Decisions always have ramifications, and choosing a dining service provider for Kalamazoo College is no exception,” she said. Shadae Sutherland ’14 spoke about her experience of moving to Kalamazoo from Jamaica, where she was used to eating food her family grew and produced. “The food that I have had here tastes quite different from the ones I have had in Jamaica. The flavor is very diminished,” she said. She stressed that an ideal food provider for the cafeteria should offer more options for people with dietary restrictions.

Dining Vendor Selection Committee member DeAngelo Glaze ’14, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) Administrative Assistant Lanna Lewis, Associate Professor of English and Farms 2 K faculty advisor Amelia Katanski ’92, Student Commission Vice President Darwin Rodriguez ’13, and Farms to K Civic Engagement Scholar Katherine Rapin ’15 shared their unique perspectives on food justice. By telling stories about their own gastronomic histories from a political, racial, epicurean, genealogical, biological, and cultural standpoint, each speaker encouraged audience members to evaluate their own relationship with food systems in order to participate in the food provider selection process. “We have the institutional buying power to redefine how our food system works,” said Katanski. “We can serve as a leader—an institution that puts our values into action.”

 “Everyone Has a STEAK in It” speakers were (l-r) Shadae Sutherland ’14, Lanna Lewis (ACSJL), DeAngelo Glaze ’14, Mariah Hennen ’15 (CES), Darwin Rodriguez ’13, Amelia Katanski ’92 (English,  Farms to K), and Katherine Rapin ’15 (CES).
Community Reflection offers a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 AM (refreshments at 10:30) in Stetson Chapel. The entire campus community and general public are invited. The Week Two (Jan. 18) Reflection, “A Dream Deferred, a Dream Made Reality? Marking the 50th Anniversary of the “I Have a Dream Speech.”will feature Harvey Hollins III ’87, director of the Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives for the State of Michigan.

Story by Elaine Ezekiel ’13.

Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership Will Host Summit on Social Justice in the Academy

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Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership will host “A Summit on Social Justice in the Academy,” January 17-19, 2013 on the K campus. Social justice scholars, thought leaders, activists, and program directors from the United States, Kenya, and South Africa will examine the integration of social justice into higher education.

Two “Summit” events, a documentary film screening and a luncheon, are open to the public.

“Numerous colleges and universities have established social justice centers, institutes, offices, programs, schools, and prizes,” said Lisa Brock, academic director for Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL), and a “Summit” organizer.

“Some have missions focused on social transformation and curricular infusion, while others concentrate on community involvement, solution-based research, and/or global engagement. Most are dedicated to some combination of these practices, and all work in some ways on progressive social change,” she said. “Although there have been many conferences to discuss social justice and public engagement, this is the first time these topics will be discussed by directors and leaders in the field of social justice.”

The documentary film Mountains That Take Wing—Angela Davis & Yuri Kochiyama will be screened in the Recital Hall Theatre, Light Fine Arts Building, on Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m. “Mountains” chronicles 13 years in the lives of two women who share a passion for social justice: scholar-activist Angela Davis, and grassroots community activist and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Yuri Kochiyama. A conversation with filmmakers C.A. Griffith and H.L.T Quan follows the screening.

“Beyond Heroes and Holidays: Social Justice Leaders Reflect on the Civil Rights Movement,” is the theme of a luncheon discussion on Friday Jan. 18, 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the Hicks Student Center banquet room. Summit members will examine the values and work of three very different leaders of the Civil Rights movement—Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker and Bayard Rustin—and discuss what inspirations and cautions others should take from them on building and sustaining movements today.

Attendance to the film and luncheon is free of charge, but reservations are required. Please RSVP to ACSJL@kzoo.edu.

“Summit” invitees are: Lisa Brock; Dara Cooper, ACSJL Fellow and Founding Program Director, Freshmoves, Chicago; Kenyon Farrow, Communications Director, The Praxis Project New Orleans; Jaime Grant, Executive Director, ACSJL; Crystal Griffin, Social Justice Filmmaker, Arizona State University; Donte Hillard, Assistant Dean of Students and Director Multicultural Student Center and Institute for Justice Education and Transformation, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amber Hollibaugh, Executive Director, Queers for Economic Justice, New York City; Janet Jakobson, Director, Barnard Center for Research on Women, Barnard College; Joseph Jones, Director, Office of the Social Justice Initiative, Philander Smith College; Godwin Morunga, Associate Director, African Leadership Center, University of Nairobi and Kings College-London; H. L. T. Quan, School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University; Barbara Ransby, Vice Provost, Social Justice Initiative, University of Illinois-Chicago; Gail Smith, Communications Director, Institute for Strategic Reflection, Mapungubwe, Johannesburg, South Africa; Rhonda Williams, Director of the Institute for Social Justice, Case Western University.

Kalamazoo College Guilds Renamed and Expanded

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On the program’s fifth anniversary, the Guilds of Kalamazoo College announced the addition of two new guilds and the re-christening of two others. An open house to celebrate this growth and evolution will occur Wednesday, January 9, from 6 PM to 8 PM in the Center for Career and Professional Development resource room on the first floor of Dewing Hall. Birthday cake will be served, and attendees will get first look at the summer 2013 internship and externship opportunities. The Guilds are active communities of engaged professionals—apprentices and masters—supported by the College’s Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD). Membership in the Guilds groups on LinkedIn has surpassed 1,500 individuals, including more than 1,000 K alumni. The names of two Guilds have changed—the Justice & Peace Guild becomes the Nonprofit & Public Service Guild, and the Sustainability Guild becomes the Science & Technology Guild. The Nonprofit & Public Service name reflects the life work of the majority of that Guild’s members, allowing apprentices and masters to more easily recognize their career paths within that Guild. The Science & Technology Guild creates a Guild home for a group of students and alumni professionals that until now hadn’t determined where they fit in the Guilds. The two name changes in no way undermine those Guilds’ engagements with matters of peace, justice, and sustainability. Says CCPD director Joan Hawxhurst: “The CCPD remains committed to those core ideals. Working with Guilds members we will bring these topics into conversations across all Guilds.” The new  “all” includes two new entities: the Education Guild and the Arts & Media Guild. The Business Guild, Health Guild, and Law Guild complete the magnificent seven. CCPD will continue to work with the Environmental Studies concentration to co-host the annual Sustainability SIP Symposium, which showcases senior research that aligns with professional pathways in multiple Guilds. And, says Hawxhurst, “We also will continue to partner with the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership to address social justice issues across all the Guilds.”

K Alumna Arianna Schindle ’08 Is Still a Social Activist

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Arianna Schindle ’08 is committed to improving peoples’ lives, whether in an impoverished Thai village or along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Read about this social justice crusader from Kalamazoo College in a profile by author, historian, and columnist John Hallwas in the McDonough County (Illinois) Voice.

K Alumnus’ Documentary Film Nominated for an Oscar

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A documentary film by David France ’81 titled  “How to Survive a Plague,” about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, is one of five in the category to be nominated for an Oscar Award. Oscar nomination is not the only recognition France has received for his film. The Gothic Independent Film Awards and the Boston Society of Film Critics voted it the best documentary film of 2012. And the Independent Spirit Awards, which occur the day before the Oscars, has nominated “How to Survive a Plague” for Best Documentary. France’s film chronicles the tireless efforts of activists in the 1980s and early 1990s bring attention to the disease and mount a response appropriate to it–in terms of research, social policies, and human dignity compassion. An article on France and the film appeared recently in the New York Times.

Just Lead: K’s Jaime Grant Pens Huffington Post Op-Ed

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Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership Executive Director Jaime Grant
Jaime Grant, Ph.D., Executive Director, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College.

Jaime Grant, executive director of K’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, wrote an op-ed piece entitled “Just Lead” that appears in the Dec 6, 2012 Huffington Post. In it, she praises “the power of community in motion; the power of innovative, just collaboration.” Grant’s piece coincides with the launch of the Kalamazoo College Global Prize for Collaborative Social Justice Leadership, a biennial $25,000 prize that honors an innovative and collaborative leadership project in the pursuit of social justice and human rights anywhere in the world.