Social Justice tackles major issues

     When most people think of the word justice, the first thing that comes to mind is the law in the courtroom. A room filled with sweaty men in suits shuffling through briefcases trying to decide whether someone is going to prison or doing community service.
     But not all justice deals with law. Justice can also be used in our society and in social settings. Social justice is a term often used in college because many people come from different backgrounds and learn how to accept different beliefs.
In a society with true social justice, individuals and groups receive fair treatment and are not discriminated against based on things such as race, sexual orientation or religion. Here at GCSU we are always encouraged to seek understanding and respect for others beliefs. We strive to be a diverse campus in which students are welcomed from all over and find a home.
     This month The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity sponsored an event for Social Justice Awareness Month. Christian de la Huerta, a former Milledgeville resident, returned to our campus on Feb. 12 for two presentations: “Beyond Belief: The Importance of Religious Diversity in Today’s World” and “Coming Out Spiritually.”
     De la Huerta is the founder of QSpirit, which is a non-profit organization that reaches out to gays and lesbians to help them in their spiritual walk. He also is the author of “Coming Out Spiritually” which was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the top ten religion books of 1999 and nominated for a Lambda Award. Lambda Literary Foundation gives Lambda Awards yearly to works that celebrate or explore gay, lesbian or bisexual themes.
     De la Huerta not only encourages GLBT people to think about religion but also our society as a whole. In his presentation,    “Beyond Belief,” he reflects on how our society needs to think beyond our own religions and learn to respect others. De la Huerta does not advocate one world religion or even belong to one religion himself. Instead he inspires others to find a deeper understanding of other religions and have an element of respect.
     Taking his listeners through the history of religion, he clearly shows how religious conflict has caused massacre in our world such as the Salem witch trials, the Civil War and the Holocaust.
De la Huerta also reflects on how if our society does not change their ways, these tragic events will continue to happen. To find a true respect for other religions, he believes that one must be willing to challenge their own beliefs and have an open heart and mind while doing so.
     Our society’s ego is what he feels continues to restrict us from understanding and respecting other religions. The ego causes intolerance, which can lead our society to reject, restrict, oppress or even murder the followers of certain religions. To change these ways of thinking one must learn to tolerate and examine other belief systems. By doing this, one can learn to respect and appreciate these religions and hopefully our world as a whole can be at peace.
     His presentation was inspiring, and he reflected well upon all religions. De la Huerta brought to the table what many rarely think about.
    “The program was quite eye-opening and really brought up a lot of thought about my own beliefs,” sophomore Kenny Hillstrom said.
     Junior, Kurt Nieser, was also moved by the discussion.
     “This program was definitely something that many people need to hear regardless of what you believe or don’t believe,” Nieser said.
     De la Huerta’s journey for religious acceptance worldwide still has a long way to go but he has brought this topic up for discussion on the GCSU campus. Hopefully our student body can do something about it.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 15 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry