Volume 3, Issue 15: April 22, 2021
R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter
*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education
Image of Pope Francis with words - A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach. It must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
Today, April 22, is Earth Day.

It is a day when we are proud to lift up the work of those who defend environmental justice (like Dr. Robert Bullard, "Father of Environmental Justice," who gave an incredible talk for our community this past Monday) and those who are working today to overcome current threats to environmental and social justice, such as the Honduran activists fighting to protect the Guapinol River and Black American activists fighting to prevent a new plastics plant from polluting their community in Louisiana.

As Pope Francis says, "a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach." It is true, and the social approach in this particular moment has been a challenging one for many of us.

While we awaited the verdict in the Chauvin trial in Minneapolis this week, for many, the wait seemed more momentous -- it echoes our long wait to see whether our nation will finally confront many of the injustices that continue to occur without accountability, or whether those injustices would be acquitted once again. Fortunately, in this case, we witnessed accountability.  

While we hope that the "guilty" verdict in this case may bring a measure of closure to some, particularly those closest to George Floyd, we recognize that this decision alone is just one important step among many in building a community founded on trust, healing, justice and responsibility. That work is still on us.

As written in our Community Statement on April 20: "In this moment, our Jesuit Catholic mission calls us to stand in solidarity with all who experience injustice and inhumanity... to stand for peace, freedom, and dignity for all people... to listen with compassion to others and to seek understanding across our differences, whatever those may be... to stand for equality and justice. When this trial is over, when this news cycle has passed, this will still be our mission and these will still be our values. 

"... We urge each member of our community to find ways to live our values more fully in the world and within our community. Embrace empathy over understanding, and peace over discontent. Recognize that many within our community may experience the verdict differently, along with the ongoing news of violence, loss, and injustices that pervades our news today. So above all, let’s remember to remain open, give space for reflection and healing, and look for opportunities to move forward as a community, both among JCU as well as the greater world. 

"There is much to be done, and we must each commit to doing it if we are to overcome the legacies of injustice that we have inherited."
Headshot of Tiffany Galvin Green
Sincerely,

Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.,
Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
On April 21, the day after the verdict was read in the Chauvin trial, the DEI division provided a number of opportunities for our community to process the news, and support one another: a Zoom coffee hour for faculty and staff and in-person gatherings for both students and employees. Our colleagues in Campus Ministry worked with our division to host a campus prayer vigil Wednesday evening to mourn all violence, to seek healing, and to pray for a peace that rests on justice.
(Photo credit: Selen Zarrelli).  
photo of flowers in foreground with people standing in background in a position of prayer
photo of a group gathered in the Student Center Atrium to pray
Many other Jesuit colleges and universities also issued statements about this week's events. They are collected here.
Division Announcements
A message from our Title IX Coordinator...
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).
Image of blue ribbon and the words You Are Not Alone - Sexual Assault Awareness Month
April 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of SAAM, although movements designed to raise both awareness and prevention of sexual assault have existed for far longer, reaching back to the 1940s and 1950s. Black women and women of color led such early efforts, laying the groundwork for wider social activism into the 1970s and beyond.

Since SAAM’s inception in 2001, SAAM has grown beyond awareness and sought to include prevention efforts as a necessary part of raising solution-oriented awareness. Here are some ways you can get involved, keep the conversation going, and take action:

  • Student Violence Prevention Advocates - A student group at JCU seeking to promote awareness and prevention of interpersonal violence, as well as support survivors. Find them on Instagram: @svpa.jcu
  • #30DaysofSAAM Instagram Challenge through the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
  • Relationship Health & the Healthy Relationship Topics Certification @ JCU -- "Let’s Stay Friends...or Not" - April 28 at 7:00 in AD 226. Sign up here or find more information here.
  • Athlete: A Film Panel Discussion from the CRCC - April 27 at 5:30. Register here.
  • April 28th - Denim Day - Wear Denim as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault. Stop by our office in AD 128 anytime this week to pick up your denim ribbon to wear on the 28th! Read more about the history of Denim Day by clicking here.

Other Resources:

Other happenings at JCU...
Sexual Assault Awareness Month program: Become Healthy Relationship Certified at JCU
April 15, 21, and 28 - AD 226
image of two blank conversation bubbles
Become Healthy Relationship (HRT) Certified at JCU! It is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so we are providing three healthy relationship programs that will add to your certification:
  • April 15th 7-8PM – Bystander 201
  • April 21st 7-8PM – #RelationshipGoals
  • April 28th 5-6PM – Let’s Stay Friends…or Not
Please register if you are interested in any of these programs OR future programs that count towards a HRT Certification!
Image of promotional flyer - click for PDF version
JCU Americorps cohort Social Justice webinar series for students
April 8, 13 and 29, 7:00 pm - via Zoom
Students in the JCU AmeriCorps cohort have organized a Social Justice in Action webinar series for the month of April with local speakers on topics of homelessness and housing, sustainability, and racial justice. The final webinar in the series, April 29, features our own Salo Rodezno, Director of the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion. Click on the flyer for more information and Zoom link.
R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week
Being Black in America is Exhausting
By Jonathan Capeheart, Washington Post, April 17, 2021
“Everyone I know is just so tired,” tweeted Jenna Wortham of the New York Times Magazine on Wednesday. While the Black writer doesn’t specify who “everyone” is, it’s a good bet they are also Black. And Wortham’s use of “tired” is an understatement.

“Tired” doesn’t just refer to the trauma of the Derek Chauvin trial or seeing replays of the video of the former Minneapolis police officer killing George Floyd. Nor does “tired” just refer to seeing Daunte Wright being shot by a Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer after being pulled over because of an air freshener dangling from his rearview mirror, as his mother has said. Or because of expired tags, as the police said. No, “tired” is all of that, plus whatever personal trauma we carry with us.

There is no one way to be Black in America, but there is one way we live while Black in America. No matter our gender, age or socioeconomic status, we are viewed as threats. As a result, we live under siege.
Announcements from our network...
Please Complete the ISN Racial Justice Survey!
The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is administering a survey to better comprehend the contexts of race, equity, and justice at and within its network of Jesuit and Catholic institutions (parishes, secondary schools, and colleges and universities). The data gathered will aid in the development of a broad-based Racial Justice Action Plan.

This survey is intended to capture different voices and perspectives. It is anonymous and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. 
Promo image for Balm in Gilead series
A Balm in Gilead: Deepening our Understanding and Conversation about Race through the Eyes of Faith
May 5, 12, and 19 | 7:00-8:15 pm EDT
Danielle Harrison, Co-Director of the Slavery, History, Memory and Reconciliation Project, offers a three part "deep dive" into the topic of Race, Racism, and Faith through the lens of Ignatian spirituality. Sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, Jesuit Commission on Social and International Ministries, and the Jesuit Committee of Spiritual and Pastoral Ministry.
2021 Migration Justice Summit for Student Organizers
Sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network
June 15-18 | 12:00-5:00 pm daily | Online
Ignatian Solidarity Network logo
This interactive summit will invite participants to connect with fellow students, hear from people impacted by the issues and experts in the field, develop organizing skills, and plan for action during the school year. Each day will include reflection, interactive sessions, policy education, and skill building for organizing. Each university may send up to 10 students.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 21