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Solidarity Week Explores Racial Injustice
During the last week in March and corresponding with Holy Week, Loyola Academy students explored issues of racial injustice as the theme of Solidarity Week 2018. This year’s theme aligned with Loyola’s launch of “The Year of Just Mercy” and, through experiential learning, speakers and reflections, challenged Ramblers to engage in realistic experiences that put them in direct contact with the narrative and perspective of those pushed to the margins of society.
“Solidarity Week is important because it is a time when we can address problems that people often do not talk about,” reflects sophomore Francesca Hill. "This was a great opportunity to bring students face to face with one of the most significant and ongoing problems in our country today.”
Solidarity Week began with the opportunity to participate in a special Stations of the Cross prayer service based on the Lament for Racial Injustice developed by the Archdiocese of Chicago. The artwork of students adorned the walls of Loyola’s chapel and offered a chance at deeper reflection while walking the stations.
Throughout the week, students and faculty were able to listen as guest speakers from a range of fields and perspectives shed light on the topic of racial injustice. Speakers included: Kitty Hooper, diversity coordinator at St. Ignatius College Prep; Monica Dawn Cosby of Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration; Mary Claire Schmit, associate director at Centro de Trabajadores Unidos (Immigrant Workers’ Project); and Eileen Heineman, director of racial justice programs at the Evanston YWCA.
Hooper encouraged Ramblers to have courageous classroom conversations with one another to help people around the Loyola community understand the realities of racial injustice. “We need to be more aware of the things we say to each other and also give people the benefit of the doubt,” she said.
Heineman urged students to tell their own personal stories, emphasizing the importance of asking questions and communicating with one another to bring about change.
Schmit spoke to students about immigration and the importance of participating in community organization to changing the flawed systems.
A highlight of the week was a special simulation experience that enabled sophomore students to rotate through a series of stations in the East Gym. The stations were prepared by the Loyola Academy Service Team (L.A.S.T.) and the Claver Committee for Solidarity and helped students gain greater insight on issues closely related to racial injustice such as housing, employment, education, criminal justice and health.
“One of the main takeaways from the experience of Solidarity Week is that...we all deserve to be treated equally,” says Rachel Jalloway ’20, who noted the importance of understanding others’ perspectives. “I learned that we need to be doing this now more than ever.”
Artistic expression was encouraged throughout Solidarity Week and tied together the many activities and events. Students, faculty and staff members, for example, had the opportunity to create activist art, including signs and buttons, with the help of the Fine Arts Department which set up a temporary studio outside of the Student Center. Sophomore classes created a collaborative art exhibit that included each student’s photo and his or her response to the question “What are you?” The idea was adapted from Kip Fulbeck’s The Hapa Project and encouraged students to think about concepts of race, identity and belonging. And Campus Ministers Rev. Stan Czarnecki, SJ, and Mr. Mike Gregg offered a beautiful musical adoration service in the chapel.
“Solidarity Week is about putting ourselves in the shoes of those who may not have every opportunity that we do individually and to understand how we can use our privileges to ensure the respect and sanctity of all humanity,” says Campus Minister Christopher Knoth, who led the committee that coordinated the week’s lineup events and activities.“My goal at Loyola is to create as many leadership opportunities for students as possible and that's exactly the premise of Solidarity Week.”
Each year, Loyola Academy’s Solidarity Week encourages students to recognize the humanity and dignity of the other, of themselves and of Jesus Christ, and to begin to understand their social responsibility of ensuring the well-being of all. This awareness results in an articulation of and a movement toward the Christian actions of stewardship, charity, companionship and service at the core of a Jesuit education.
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