Category Archives: Social Justice

DACA Discourse and Action Panel highlights student voices

Many students, some Smithies included, have found themselves in the midst of political upheaval since President Trump’s move to rescind DACA. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program protects eligible youth from deportation. The administrative program implemented in 2012 by … Continue reading

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Animal Advocates prepare for Meatless March

The Animal Advocates group is promoting Meatless March at Smith College! Animal Advocates aims to promote animal justice through a lens of intersectionality. The US movement for animal justice has faced criticism for being “white-washed.” Shelby Kim ‘18, who leads … Continue reading

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Otelia Cromwell Day: Resist, Act, and Preserve

Honoring the legacy of Otelia Cromwell, the first Black woman to earn a degree from Smith College, Northamptonites and Smithies gathered in John M. Greene Hall to hear Roxanne Gay speak on November 2. Gay is an accomplished American writer, … Continue reading

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Walking About Smith As Us:
Muslim Students’ Perspectives

First-year student Yacine Fall wrote the following paper for her English 118 course, “Youth Activism”; the assignment is to write a photojournalist essay on the life of a Smith student. She chose to look at what it is like to … Continue reading

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Conveying True Welcome

In these times of discrimination against immigrants, people of color, those seeking refuge, and so many other groups, in addition to a rash of gun violence and natural disasters which have displaced and traumatized whole communities this fall, it is … Continue reading

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“Viva Puerto Rico y Viva Mexico”

A few weeks ago, a student group organized a fundraiser for hurricane relief in response to the natural disasters affecting Puerto Rico and Mexico. With the support of the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, a range of delicious Latin … Continue reading

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Sacred Space and Beloved Community

The Yoga aphorisms of Patanjali from the third century state “what we truly worship we make sacred.” This philosophy rings very true for me. I believe it applies to “worship” in the broadest sense: quiet, alert walks in the woods; … Continue reading

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The Sanctuary Movement: A Brief History

As a religious concept, “sanctuary” is connected to a sense of holiness and means to be “set apart.” The word sanctuary, when used in the context of political movements, has come to also mean places of physical safety, as in … Continue reading

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Reflections on “Resistance and Rebellion”

In response to the tense state of reproductive justice, The Steinem Initiative hosted a panel on February 1 in Weinstein Auditorium entitled “Visions for Reproductive Justice: Resistance & Rebellion 2017 and Beyond.” The Steinem Initiative—which, according to Co-director Joyce Follett, … Continue reading

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Statement on Refugee and Muslim Ban

The Smith College Jewish Community (SCJC) stands in strong opposition to Donald Trump’s executive order banning Muslims and refugees from entering the country. This executive order, signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, is a haunting reminder of our obligation as Jews … Continue reading

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