Category Archives: Reflections

The Planting of Critical Hope: The Practice of Grief and the Blooming of Justice

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Matilda Cantwell
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Dear Friends, Critical hope is defined by Scholar Paulo Freire as a way of addressing injustice through meaningful dialogue—we are not hopeful because we wait for the future, because we create it. Critical thinking is the process by which we interrogate and dismantle. Critical hope is the … Continue reading →

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Think of Criticalhope as One Word

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
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Critical hope seems at first to be a contradiction in terms–a clash of two universes of discourse.  “Hope” has to do with the experience of faith which inspires vision, which engages us in action and (hopefully) to a sacred, healing … Continue reading →

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Racial Justice in Islam Series Connects Leaders to Students

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Kim Alston
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The Racial Justice in Islam: Opening Our Hearts series was created as a space for students to learn about Islam’s approach towards justice, its historical foundation, and modern-day implications. Through asynchronous dialogue with noted Islamic leaders students were encouraged to … Continue reading →

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Mrs. New’s Tattoo

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
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I remember the first time I really saw the numbers tattooed on Mrs. New’s arm. I had seen them before, but by 11 years old, I knew enough to really see them.  I remember a 2 and a long chain … Continue reading →

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Reflection on Cromwell Day

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Kim Alston
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I’m reading a book that I find interesting on the subject of race. It’s called Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life, written by scholar educators Karen E. Fields and Barbara J. Fields. As the title suggests race or … Continue reading →

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A Reflection

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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The Place Where We Are Right by Yehuda Amichai From the place where we are right Flowers will never grow In the spring. The place where we are right Is hard and trampled Like a yard. But doubts and loves … Continue reading →

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Memory and History

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
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Memory and Historiography–the writing of history–are two forces that stand in opposition for the heart and soul of a people.  Of the two, memory has much more power than history.  I learned this from a small book I read in … Continue reading →

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Thankfulness as a Remedy for Change

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Kim Alston
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There is a popular saying in Islam that Muslims use in their everyday interactions to give thanks, praise and glory to God. Alhamdulillah is an Arabic phrase translated as All praises are due to Allah. Muslims use it to show … Continue reading →

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Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a Tzadik

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
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After Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, 11-year-old Micah Blay made a pilgrimage to the U.S. Supreme Court and blew the shofar for the hundreds of people gathered there. In keeping with Jewish custom, they laid small stones on the steps … Continue reading →

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CONVOCATION (Invocation) 2020, August 31, 2020

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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Smith College acknowledges and appreciates the fact that our College is built within the ancestral homelands of the Nonotuck peoples. We also recognize our present-day neighboring indigenous nations: the Nipmuc and the Wampanoag to the East, the Mohegan, Pequot, and … Continue reading →

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