Justice For All

2014-2015 is the Year of Social Justice at AACC.

The purpose of the Year of Social Justice is for students, faculty, and staff to learn a complex definition of what social justice means, and to help make stronger connections to organizations of social justice.

The idea for a Year of Social Justice was created last April when a subcommittee of the Diversity Committee met to discuss issues of diversity and social justice on campus.

“The idea of diversity doesn’t really resonate for a lot of people,” noted Suzanne Spoor, an English professor at AACC. “It’s kind of a flat word.”

That’s where social justice comes in. The Department of Government and Social Justice at Appalachian State University defines social justice as “promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity.”

In order for students, faculty, and staff to get a complex definition of social justice, AACC invited keynote speaker David J. Smith to speak on campus on Oct. 1. David Smith, editor of Peacebuilding in Community Colleges, has been working with community colleges and social justice for over a decade. Smith will be speaking in Florestano 101 on Oct. 1.At noon on Oct. 1, the Student Achievement and Success Program (SASP) will be holding a special edition of their monthly “Just Talk” forum about the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown. The forum will be called “Justice for Michael Brown” and would be a great opportunity for students to start thinking and talking about social justice before attending David Smith’s lecture.

But why here, at AACC?

“Community colleges serve students from a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and student body populations often reflect the makeup of the community at large,” Smith says.

“People look around and they say, ‘oh there are black people here, there are women here, there are rich people and poor people, so we have diversity’ but simply having diversity doesn’t mean you understand what’s needed for change.” Added Spoor.

What can you do to make the world better for the next generation?

A list of campus events and resources for the Year of Social Justice at AACC can be found at http://www.aacc.edu/socialjustice/ along with contact information and more details about Social Justice in the school’s curriculum.

Caitlin Elise Weller