Students for Racial and Social Justice

The first meeting of the Four Rivers Racial and Social Justice group took place last Friday night. Lee Collins and Zach Podhorzer introduced us to their vision for the group. We discussed Harriet Tubman, (who did a whole lot more than just the things everyone talks about, by the way,) while her rock-hard and freedom-bent gaze stared us down. We began a conversation about the questions that will form the purpose of this group and the quality of its environment, and we touched briefly on the vibrancy of the Austin, TX music scene, all to the soundtrack of the soft low-fi and jazz coming from Lee’s speakers.

I was struck by two things. The first was the equal playing field that I felt between the students and the faculty. While it’s true that Lee and Zach were carrying us through the powerpoint and beginning to frame what the group will look like, it was clear that we were a group of people getting together to talk about difficult and vulnerable subjects, all arriving on the same level. The second thing I was struck by was the skill with which Lee guided the group. He was cool but not aloof, welcoming but not smothering. It seems to me that he is the kind of person that leads by demonstration; his openness, competence, and passion were contagious.

The Four Rivers Racial and Social Justice group has three goals:

1. To promote racial equality at Four Rivers and surrounding communities.

2. To develop students’ social justice leadership skills.

3. To plan and engage in youth-led activism

Racial justice is wrapped up in economic, environmental, gender, and sexuality justice. This group is the first time students and faculty have an opportunity to, as peers, create a space that can address and move through the topics of racial and social justice that we allow to permeate our lives by being silent. It is also a group designed to take action, to be “a place where Four Rivers students can affect change they can see in their communities and become leaders to do the same in the world.” To paraphrase something Lee said, we need to give space to voices, but voices often have arms and legs attached to them.

The next meeting will be held at 5pm on Friday, October 16. A link will be posted on your Weekly Overview.