SJTI Tidbits

There were too many hours spent to really convey what my experience at the Student Social Justice Training Institute was like, but I would love to share some highlights and things that are still lingering.

I left on Wednesday the 21st, flew to St. Louis to meet Cliff and Sam, and stayed at Cliff's mother's house for the night. Thursday morning we drove from St. Louis to the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. The conference lasted from 3pm on Thursday to about noon on Sunday.

Our days were something like this:
7:00-8:15 breakfast
8:30-noon session #1
noon-1:00 lunch
1:00-5:30 session #2
5:30-6:15 dinner
7:00-9:00 core group meeting

The sessions consisted of discussions and activities, individually and with varying group sizes. There were about 35 students, most of whom in undergraduate programs, 5 core group facilitators (they're in the working world and have been through the professional development SJTI), and two lead facilitators.


Can you find me?


Core Group Facilitators (CGF) and Lead Faculty (LF)
Left to right: Cory(CGF), Annice(CGF), Kathy(LF), Vernon(LF), Carmen(MY CGF), Sarah(CGF), Simon(CGF)


My Core Group
Clockwise, starting with me: Larkin, Carmen(CGF), Rob, Taylor, Shelley, Miguel, Brittany

So just imagine the energy and passion in a room full of people committed professionally, personally, academically, extra-curricularly, whatever-it-may-be-ly to social justice. People working on eliminating oppressive language, people working on creating diverse and loving communitites, people trying to provide support to historically and currently subordinated groups, people stuck in the volunteer, community service attitude but wanting to grow and really understand how we can help each other and create lasting change... folks fighting a never-ending battle against racist policy-making, folks advocating for power and rights, folks trying to be better teachers, friends, partners and human beings.

Absolutely inspiring and rejuvenating, while it was an exhausting few days and reminded me of the huge task at hand if we get too ahead of ourselves. There is an amazing thing that happens in these situations where people are sharing stories and challenging each other to "get real," to move beyond the superficial and surface level, where people have something in common that is bigger than the individual, not just about a group, and crucial to the individual AND the group. I was able to make connections with friends across the room because of a single comment or a 30-minute conversation. We are all critical lovers of our universities and work places, committed to change because we refuse to be complacent and we recognize that it's the only way our lives will be fulfilling.


Amazing women!
Kim, Annice, Stephany, Patrice, Erin-Kate, Taylor


Prachi


Larkin and Rob


Ahlam


Elizabeth


Priyanka and Jean-Luc

Community Foundations (developed by Jamie Washington)

1. Communitites are built through relationships of trust and commitment.
2. We are all doing the best we can (most of the time).
3. We don't know all there is to know.
4. Just because I am, doesn't mean I understand; Just because I am not, doesn't mean I don't understand.
5. Oppression is pervasive and impacts us all.
6. It is not our fault, but we must accept responsibility to create change.
7. Conflict and discomfort are often a part of growth.
8. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
9. Practice forgiveness and letting go.
10. Self-work, healing and self-love are necessary for acceptance of others.
11. Acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate progress.
12. There are no quick fixes.
13. Individuals and organizations DO grow and change. There is hope.

At the close of the weekend we had a little ceremony to say thank you to our hosts, to our facilitators, and to each other. Vernon shared a story that he always closes with about an experience he had in Washington D.C. He was on a bus during the day of a huge Queer Pride rally, in which the entire city was alive with activism and love. He remembers being on the buses and actually feeling the energy in the city, the buses full of people chanting and singing, laughing and telling stories. He was on one particular bus next to a young girl and her grandfather, obviously going to or coming from church; the little girl was wearing a white dress, white shoes and socks, white gloves, and had a big white bow in her hair. She looked at Vernon and said, "I look good." He chuckled, "Yes, you are very beautiful." She said, "I look GOOD." He said, "You sure do, honey. You look beautiful." Then the little girl looked at her grandfather and asked, "Grandpa, why are all these people singing?"

Her grandpa paused, looked around at the crowd and said, "Sweet thing, they are singing for their freedom."