#itsj2016

The students of ITSJ 2016 decided to go outside today to host our second debate of the week! This time around prison wardens, doctors performing sterilization (with uninformed and often coerced consent), women in prison, community activists, and C.R.A.C.K. founder Barbara Harris. They did an awesome job, roleplaying beautifully while covering the myriad of topics we have discussed this week. That said, considering the heavy subjects of sterilization, coercion, shackling, the war on drugs and the prison-industrial complex we also engaged in a very cathartic discussion of self-care, particularly for long-term activism!  

Some pictures from Week Three of ITSJ: Reproductive Justice! Note special guests Laura Kaplan of the Jane Collective, Loretta Ross (DC Rape Crisis Center; NOW), and Chula from the Animal Psychology Dept :); in addition to our field trip to the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College!

There are two questions I’ve been thinking about lately that could become central themes for my digital storytelling project: 1. Does social justice necessarily embody liberal moral ideology, or does it exist independently of any particular moral framework, simply a reaction to the reality of systemic oppression? Put differently, can anti-oppression activism invoke conservative values, or are the two mutually exclusive? At the core of this question is the desire to investigate whether our justice movements can be universal in the types of morals they espouse. 2. How do I balance time spent doing activism with time spent critiquing how activism is done? I tend to focus most of my effort on the latter. For example, I often wonder, “In 50 years, what will new activists realize we did wrong in our social justice work, and how can we address that now?” This kind of reflection can be useful but takes away from time I could spend educating myself about oppression or doing actual organizing work. Additionally, my desire to criticize activist strategies is partly rooted in the capitalist notion that I have to churn out unique ideas if I am to build a reputation as an activist/thinker. It is clear that both reflecting on and carrying out activist praxis are important, but how and to what extent should I balance the two? -Brian McGahie