A letter from the heart of an activist

Dear CSB+SJU Community,

For a long time the voices of students have echoed in auditoriums, offices and conference rooms on our campus calling for change, calling for progress, calling for justice. We’ve been ignored. As an international student from the Bahamas, a place that has already experienced and continues experiencing harmful effects of the climate crisis, I feel called to share the following message: The lack of climate action from our institutions creates unwelcome feelings for members of our campus community. Those of us who come to CSB+SJU having experienced consequences of the climate crisis, including the many injustices associated with this global issue, can struggle with belonging here when the institutions seem not to take direct actions to address an issue that is close to our hearts and important to our identities.

I have witnessed in my time here several obstacles to change on our campuses that I will address in the remaining portions of this letter. The first of these obstacles involves outdated and incorrect ideas about time. From my observations, I have sensed that there is an unusual amount of faith being placed in time itself. I was confused by this, despite understanding that there’s a natural association between the passing of time and change.

My confusion was a result of my personal understanding of time: time has no mythical ability to evoke change. And while that may be a personal conclusion on the subject of time, it is corroborated well by not only the physics taught at our own institution but also by Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. We then must cease to personify time. Ultimately, the wheels of change do not operate on inevitability. Rather, they turn as a result of a sufficient, collective and continued push. In short: It will not just happen. Time is running out.

The second obstacle is a misplaced sense of duty which leads to support of injustice. We do not owe those in power our support. Instead, we ought to stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed. I challenge the idea that things should be done according to how they always have been. That sounds to me like an admission that change is not a priority. I fail to see how anyone could say in one instance they are in favor of change but simultaneously cling to this idea of upholding tradition over anything else and similar ideas that hinder progress.

Our institutions are Catholic, so I will rely on the Judeo-Christian teachings to drive home my point. From reflecting on the literature associated with these religious groups, one can call upon countless instances where God’s support went not to those in positions of power but to those who were oppressed. Perhaps the most famous example is the account of the Israelites under Pharaoh’s rule in Egypt before the Exodus. In regards to promoting and creating change on our campuses, there’s a need to redirect support from the oppressors to the oppressed.

That leads me to the third obstacle. There is a lack of support for students working for change on our campuses, especially in the area of climate justice. To begin, I want to bring attention to the group of students acting under the banner of the Climate Justice Club (CJC) in 2019 that were calling on the leadership of our institutions to divest funds from the fossil fuel industry and its supporters. The students did a great deal of work and an amazing job of presenting their case, yet they were ultimately shot down.

I am thrilled yet troubled to announce that another group of students again operating under the banner of CJC have taken up the mantle to call for divestment on our campuses. Why troubled? I am concerned for the well-being of my fellow students. For too long our courage and zeal have been trampled in favor of the status quo. The bottom line that is often avoided in these discussions of better supporting students is as follows:

If, as a member of this community, you believe that the Bennies and Johnnies shaped at these institutions can change the world, then you must work to support their efforts. Reflecting on the Benedictine values, they sound as though when you’re in a place that claims to hold them in high regard, injustice should be minimal. Sadly, it is hard to say that is true on our campuses. In fact, I feel strongly about adding “Act” to the list of Benedictine values.

We can listen, we can respect persons, we can take counsel, we can commit to justice, stewardship, moderation, dignity of work and the common good, we can live truthfully and in community, we can practice hospitality and we can acknowledge the primacy of God, yet without dedicated action towards all of these values, what does any of it really mean?