As part of our 2015 Take Back The Night post-event, the Women’s Center hosted a “Dear Survivor,” letter writing activity. Inspired by the Dear Survivor Project and the book,  Dear Sister: Letters from Survivors of Sexual Violence students and UMBC community members were invited to craft their own “Dear Survivor” letter or message. Here’s a sampling from just some of the powerful messages written by UMBC community members.

Critical Social Justice week is fast approaching (this February from the 16th to the 20th) and the theme this year is “Creating Brave Spaces”. To unpack and explore this idea, we had the Critical Social Justice Student Alliance tell us what the theme meant to them and how we can use it in our social justice work. Emily Eaglin, incoming president of this new student organization, created this helpful video that documents our conversation and expands upon what brave spaces can be. Check it out below!

We were inspired by Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens’ article, “From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces,” and for some highly recommended further reading, you can access it here.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Critical Social Justice campaign, check out our WordPress, like our Facebook page, and/or follow us on Twitter!

Critical Social Justice scoffs in the face of snow delays — we are unstoppable. Two of the CSJ events that were postponed on Monday have been rescheduled for next Monday, March 10th. Read on for more details and we hope to see everyone there to continue engaging with these important social justice issues!

Critical Social Justice 101 – 4-5:30pm in UC Ballroom Lounge – What is critical social justice? What challenges and possibilities exist for social justice activism? And what does that mean within an academic setting? Find out more at this roundtable led by Dr. Kate Drabinski (Gender + Women’s Studies), Lisa Gray (the Mosaic Center), student and activist Crystal Ogar, and Dr. Joby Taylor (Shriver Center). (Event sponsored by: Critical Social Justice) Facebook myUMBC 

Just Kids: The Automatic Prosecution of Youth as Adults in Maryland – 7-9pm in UC 310 – Following a screening of the new documentary The Truth About Our Youth, Just Kids Youth Leaders Kevin J. and Richard R. and Assistant Youth Organizer Jabriera H. will share their personal stories to bring statistics to life and dispel misconceptions about youth who are charged as adults. Learn more about this important issue here. (Event sponsored by: The Just Kids Partnership, a collaboration between Community Law in Action and the Public Justice Center) Facebook myUMBC

UMBC hosted the guest speaker Stephen Prothero, acclaimed expert and author on religion, offered members of the UMBC community religious and spiritual insight during the discussion "God is Not One: The Eight Religions That Run the World and Why Their Differences Matter."
Prothero has authored numerous books on religion including God is not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World and Religious Literacy. He is also a professor in the Department of Religion at Boston University and has appeared on mainstream news networks like CNN, MSNBC and FOX.

The discussion was held on Thursday, November 29 in the Skylight Lounge. About 50 students, faculty and visitors attended to hear Prothero's lecture, in which he emphasized the importance of educational literacy in religion in America.

"You can't make sense of the world without making sense of religion," said Prothero. He pointed out how religion affects major societal matters such as politics, military forces and government systems. "I believe humans are motivated by passions that cannot be seen."

Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity were some of the religions Prothero compared and contrasted. He also described how although the U.S. is the most religious country in the world, individuals have very little knowledge about religion itself.

"Religion has public power," he said, explaining that the media has displayed how religion affects human rights like abortion and marriage equality during the last decade. Individual morals and values differ across religions, which often ignites controversy regarding the legislation of these human rights.

One of Prothero's main goals is to encourage both teachers and professors to incorporate religious topics in their curriculum. "I think it would be good to teach world religions and Christianity in a general sense," said senior public health major Alexandra Mills. "It's important to discuss and have a basic understanding of different religions."

The discussion was sponsored by The Office of Student Life's Mosaic Center along with the Office of Undergraduate Education and several other co-sponsors. The Mosaic Center staff dedicates their time to creating and fostering cross-cultural collaboration and diversity on the UMBC campus through events such as Prothero's discussion.

"We like to find ways to be a more unified community at UMBC," said Assistant Director of Student Life for Cultural and Spiritual Diversity Lisa Gray.

"I agree that we should focus and celebrate our differences," said senior Asian studies major Yasmin Radbod. "We shouldn't assume that we are all the same."