By Neftali Acosta
The Scene staff
Rape. Poverty. Assault. Trafficking. Prejudice. Violence. Abuse. Injustice.
These are just some of the problems that Forest Park students, faculty and staff are learning about in April as part of Social Justice Week and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“Social Justice Week is about igniting activism,” said Clemishia Seals, administrative assistant in Campus Life. “We want to shed light on (injustice). We want to put you into the shoes of people who have been not treated fairly.”
Campus events range from lectures to panel discussions, yoga sessions to book signings, T-shirt displays to free food and drinks.
Social Justice Week
Social Justice Week is not commemorated on a particular week nationally, but most colleges plan activities on a week of their choosing. At Forest Park, it’s hosted by Campus Life, which held events in January in the past but decided to try April this year in the hope of better weather and a bigger turnout.
Social Justice Week included three main events. On April 9, sociology professor Andrea Nichols gave a lecture on “Labor Trafficking in St. Louis & the Bi-State Area.” On April 12, a yoga instructor led a session called “Igniting Activism.”
“Music has always been a vehicle to social justice movements, whether inviting participation or helping shape the political consciousness concerning such issues as war, poverty and police brutality,” according to a flier.
“During this 60-minute session, attendees will be challenged to channel their inner activist through meditation, yoga and music that has been used to fuel movements to create change.”
The biggest event was the Community Action Poverty Simulation on April 11 in the Forest Park gymnasium. Campus Life partnered with the Missouri Community Action Network, a statewide association dedicated to ending poverty.
The one-hour simulation consisted of stations that represented a school, supermarket, office, hospital, child-care center and driver’s license facility. People divided into “families” and role-played as single parents, people with disabilities and senior citizens on Social Security trying to obtain food, shelter and other necessities on limited incomes.
One of the participants was Monique Thomas, a local resident who works for a commercial company. She would like to organize a similar activity at her workplace to raise awareness and increase sensitivity.
“I feel removed from the day-to-day experience of somebody in poverty,” she said. “I wanted to learn, remind myself of what that is like.”
Sexual assault awareness
Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a national commemoration with the official color of teal. Students, faculty and staff may have noticed teal signs, balloons and ribbons around campus.
Counselors hosted a panel discussion on April 10 to help people recognize the “signs of abuse, where to go for help and how to stop the cycle of violence.” Two raffle winners received copies of “Human Trafficking in the Midwest: A Case Study of St. Louis and the Bi-State Area” by Nichols and Erin C. Heil. Abusive relationships can lead to human trafficking.
One panelist was Mary Zabriskie, STLCC’s Title IX coordinator, who is the person to contact to report sexual misconduct at mzabriskie@stlcc.edu or 314-539-5345.
Counselors also hosted “The Clothesline Project” with Campus Life and Safe Connections, a non-profit organization that provides support and resources to help people deal with abuse and sexual violence.
A variety of colorful T-shirts hung on clotheslines in the cafeteria, each hand-painted to represent the experiences of women who have been affected by violence. The idea is to bear witness to their survival, help with healing and educate, document and raise awareness.
“All of these shirts are actually created by survivors who share their stories of what they’ve experienced,” said Cindy Punzalan Delacruz, crisis and community outreach coordinator for Safe Connections. “Maybe it’s something that is written in strength and empowerment, so a lot of times, you’ll see very positive shirts. Sometimes people will (provide) extremely triggering content about their abuse.”
Safe Connections has a 24-hour crisis help line at 314-531-2003.
Another Sexual Assault Awareness Month event sponsored by Forest Park counselors is a book signing on April 25 in Cafe West. The book is “Silence is Not an Option: A Memoir of Overcoming Abuse, Anxiety and Depression” by former STLCC student Argentina Parra. Ten percent of profits will go to the St. Louis Women’s Safe House.
For more information, contact Candace Niemeyer at cniemeyer@stlcc.edu, Sandra Knight at sknight@stlcc.edu or Reginald Johnson at rjohnson@stlcc.edu.
Students plan activities
Forest Park students themselves planned some events related to Sexual Assault Awareness Month. One was an April 16 presentation called “Do You Know What a Healthy Relationship Looks Like?” by Casey Anderson, program supervisor of crisis intervention with YWCA Metro St. Louis.
“A healthy relationship is one of those relationships where it’s based on that trust, that mutual respect, your ability to compromise, your ability to communicate in a way that both people feel their voices are heard,” she said.
“It doesn’t mean that it’s OK to hurt one another. It’s always that love, that respect, that support … that is important.”
The organization provides shelter to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It has a 24-hour hotline at 314-531-7273.
Still coming to campus is an April 24 presentation by the Bureau of Investigative Services Sex Crimes Division of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Detectives will speak on sexual harassment, rape culture and sexual assault. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions.
For more information, contact co-organizer Soroda Nasiri at 314-339-9441 or email snasiri@my.stlcc.edu. Anyone who fears for their safety and needs help on campus should call Campus Police at 314-644-9700.