“We want to get conversation started,” said Dr. Rita Shah, Elizabethtown College assistant professor of sociology. That’s the concept behind Social Justice Week, a series of events designed to foster discussion about social justice on campus and beyond.
“We have social justice as one of the missions of the College, but there is no real concerted effort to get people talking about what it is and what the issues are. If you don’t have those conversations, then how can you solve the issues?” said Shah.
Social Justice Week kicks off with Service Learning and Camping along the Appalachian Trail Friday, Sept. 19, and Saturday, Sept. 20. Led by Jean-Paul Benowitz, students will travel to Michaux State Forest and Pine Grove Furnace State Park, where they will camp overnight. Participants will learn about the history of the Appalachian Trail and the conservation efforts along the corridor while also helping with some of the conservation activities at the various locations.
Other events during the week include an environmental walk across campus Sunday, Sept. 21. The International Peace Day excursion helps participants understand that environmental issues truly do impact their everyday lives. The walk will be led by Dr. David Bowne Elizabethtown College associate professor of biology.
At 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, a screening of the film Promised Land will be shown in Gibble Auditorium. The movie, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon and Hal Holbrook, follows the story of hydraulic fracturing and two corporate salespeople who visit a rural town in an attempt to buy drilling rights from the local residents. After the film, Dr. David R. Bowne, assistant professor of biology, will lead a discussion.
I think it’s going to be a really exciting week…”
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, a book club will be held to discuss new perspectives on environmental justice — gender, sexuality and activism. The book club will discuss issues of environmental justice in a smaller setting.
An Environmental Policy Discussion will be held from 11 a.m. until noon Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. The goal of the panel is to visit environmental issues from a policy perspective. The panel will include a 30-minute Q&A and a 30-minute moderated discussion of how policy decisions and environmental activism can help, but also potentially hurt, each other’s goals.
The week winds up with an Environmental Justice Debate from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the College’s KAV. Individuals on both sides of environmental justice discuss the various issues of poverty and the disparate impacts of environmental decisions across groups.
The celebration of Social Justice Week started in fall of 2012 and occurs every two years. This is the first year that there is a theme. “I think it’s going to be a really exciting week,” said Shah.
All Social Justice Week events are free. For more information, contact Dr. Rita Shah at shahr@etown.edu or 717-361-1351 or visit etown.edu/socialjusticeweek.