Tag Archives: campus news

Blessed Ramadan Ends; Fast of Shawwal Begins

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Kim Alston
by

Community! That’s a good word to describe Ramadan 2025, the mandatory sacred fast performed by Muslims annually during the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. Many know that the Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) starting in the month … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays, Newsletter Articles, Programs & Events, Reflections, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hag Ha Aviv: The Festival of Spring Draws Near

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Kim Alston
by

Spring is officially here as evidenced by the appearance of the first flowers breaking through the ground and buds on trees. Passover, celebrated from the evening of April 12 until April 20, is one of the three Jewish festivals (Shavuot … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Holidays, Interfaith Matters, Newsletter Articles, Programs & Events, Reflections, Social Justice, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ramadan at Smith

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Kim Alston
by

Ramadan Mubarak! Muslims worldwide look forward to the start of the Ramadan season, a beautiful time of year for reflection, spiritual renewal, and devotion to Allah. Some of our students and community members at Smith will engage in Ramadan. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays, Newsletter Articles, Programs & Events, Reflections, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Invocation for Generating Justice and Joy Nov. 30, 2021

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Kim Alston
by

We are grateful that our earth has the capacity to take care of all living creatures. We affirm the importance of the humanity of all people. We are gathered to reconfirm our commitment to the seeking of this great concept … Continue reading →

Posted in Newsletter Articles, Programs & Events, Reflections, Social Justice, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2021-2022: The Center for Religious and Spiritual Life Explores Transformative and Disability Justice as Spiritual Practices

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Matilda Cantwell
by

This year as Smith focuses on “Democracies,”  we are painfully aware that social injustices were woven into the fabric of our society at its founding. We also find ourselves at a point at which the very structure of democracy in … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Newsletter Articles, Reflections, Social Justice, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reparations in Higher Education

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Kim Alston
by

This post is the first of a few to explore the theme of reparations. The term has come to refer to a broad movement advocating for payments and structural repair to those harmed by slavery in the U.S. and to … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Programs & Events, Reflections, Social Justice | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The War in Afghanistan, 9-11, and our Interconnectedness

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Kim Alston
by

I thought it was a good idea to bring attention to the handling of the events in Afghanistan by the U.S. military last month through Generating Justice and Joy because it demonstrates the confusion, complexity, complicity, and connection that so … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Programs & Events, Reflections, Response Statements, Social Justice, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Think of Criticalhope as One Word

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
by

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 →

Posted in History, Reflections, Response Statements, Social Justice, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mrs. New’s Tattoo

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
by

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 →

Posted in History, Reflections, Social Justice, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reflection on Cromwell Day

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Kim Alston
by

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 →

Posted in Newsletter Articles, Programs & Events, Reflections, Social Justice, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment