IFTJ reflection
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This prayer was among the many things that we brought back with to St. John’s from the St. Ignatius Family Teach-In for Justice. This event hosted at the Crystal Marriott Hotel in Arlington Virginia is the biggest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the country. Individuals from Catholic schools, colleges and organizations from all over the country were present at event. From November 15-17 representatives nationwide had the opportunity to listen to keynote speakers, attend specialized breakout sessions, and network with other participants. The key theme of this year’s Teach-In was “pressing on” the idea of continuing to advocate for social justice issues in our current world.
On Saturday, November 15 the keynote speaker featured was Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, the biggest gang rehabilitation and intervention program worldwide. His opening speech set the tone for the whole weekend by energizing the attendees and specifying the mission of the Teach-In which is to continue to fight for the issues that matter to us. Later that evening two members of Homeboy Industries and Father Boyle himself held a breakout session. Both previously incarcerated men shared their stories, one who admitted he had been jailed for 20 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Their faith testimonies were touching and made an emotional impression on us and the audience.
Sunday, November 16 began with keynote speaker Christina Leaño, who has over 25 years of leadership experience on social and environmental justice issues thru non-profit and educational settings. A key phrase she used was “Plant trees knowing we will never feel the shade.” This phrase was central to the main theme of the teaching by emphasizing that the changes we wish to bring to the world today will help future generations and not necessarily ourselves. This idea was a key takeaway from the teaching helping to shine perspective on why we do things and with the intention of helping who. Leaño’s speech connected to the breakout session we attended next which featured a student-led group based in the Boyle Heights area of California who work thru the LA voice cohort organization. These students and other members have worked for minority representation by lobbying for more affordable housing and protecting food vendors from ICE which they managed to get signed off by their governor, among many other achievements.
The students from the LA voice cohort organization placed a strong emphasis on the power of organization and the ability for anyone to make a change through organization and collaboration. Jane Hernandez, a senior at Flint Ridge Sacred Heart academy and one of the organizers of the LA voice cohort says that “When I was given the option to come here I felt like it was my moral duty to fight for my community. If I let this happen it means that I tolerate these evils.” This comment was an important call to action for participants of this breakout session to take what we learned about organization and mobilization and apply it in our own communities to change the injustices we see.
The third breakout session we attended facilitated by Br. Ken Homan, a Jesuit Brother focused on community building through productive conversations. This session outlined the steps needed for a conversation that will be helpful in achieving one’s goal thru collaboration. An important takeaway was that the strategies provided will not work unless you fully lean in. This ties back to the main theme of the Teach-In to “Press-on” which has to happen with dedication to your cause. Ian Gilliam ’28 who also attended the Teach-In says his “biggest takeaway was building a community through networking matters if you want to make change.” My biggest takeaway was being the change I wish to see in the world. I hope to apply this through creating a student-led advocacy group and work towards spreading awareness for social justice issues that impact our own community.
