This is America and Other Updates

Hello!
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Thank you for checking in with the Equality and Justice committee. We have been working hard to promote social justice and further equality in the campus and local community. Our This is America series is well on the way! Thank you to everyone who attended the first installment (And Justice for All?). The event was everything that we imagined; we had some great conversation about the justice system in America, its issues, and how we as students can help. Our next This is America event will be October 18th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in Bigelow Hall! We will be discussing how poverty affects different identity groups in unique and difficult ways. There will be free hors devours from Common Kitchen, a local business that is staffed primarily by immigrants and refugees seeking certification to work in commercial kitchens in the US.
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Helping to plan and carry out the This is America series is not the only way that you can join us in bettering our community! We also serve with the Iroquois Public Library every Saturday from 3 to 4 pm by acting as members of their English Conversation Club. The ECC is a program that allows proficient English speakers and people who are currently learning English to spend time together in a fun and family friendly environment! Although America does not declare an official language, individuals without English proficiency and literacy are often faced with discriminatory practices. These practices place undue difficulty on individuals when they try to fulfill simple American rights such as find equal educational opportunities, speak for themselves in court and become employed in positions that they are qualified for. Solutions to this issue go much deeper than engaging in programs like ECC, but this is a great way for English speakers to learn more about the issue from people who experience it in their everyday lives and for people practicing their English to find community and learn.
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If you are interested in volunteering with us, feel free to show up at 601 W Woodlawn Ave, Louisville, KY 40215 or arrange a carpool with us by sending one of our directors an email! Also, if you would like to see even more of what the Equality and Justice committee is up to, join us at our committee meetings that happen every Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in SAC W303! We hope to serve, grow, and fight for Equality and Justice with you soon!

Love,
The Equality and Justice Committee

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
-MLK

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​-Jasmyne Post
Equality and Justice Associate Director (18-19)
jasmyne.post@uoflelsb.org