On Nov. 2, Sacred Heart University held an online colloquium titled “Racial Healing & Transformation.”
The colloquium was held over Zoom and invited speakers from Sacred Heart’s College of Arts and Sciences. Professors from the Catholic Studies, Languages and Literatures, History, and Sociology departments were also present.
“The goals of the Human Journey Colloquia series are to kickstart important conversations in and with our Sacred Heart community. I was excited to be involved in this chance to put our commitments about racial justice alongside timely conversations about civic engagement, especially voting,” said Dr. Charles Gillespie, professor of Catholic Studies.
Speakers explained that core values, morals and dignity were among some topics that they wanted to bring to the forefront of the community.
“Higher education has the opportunity to play a leadership role in advancing racial and social justice as a vibrant and diverse space of learning. In particular, Sacred Heart’s mission calls upon us to embrace the core values of promoting the common good and recognizing the dignity and worth of every human being,” said Dr. Marie Hulme from the Department of Languages and Literature.
Students believe that this message can educate and push them to be more aware of the need for racial and social justice.
“I think the messages behind this colloquium will offer support to students when going to vote. It gives us a meaningful purpose when we do something that may change our way of life in the future,” said junior Benjamin Bello. “It also puts forward a message that no matter what people think of you, whether it’s based on your race or other quality, you should not let that get in the way of who you are and what your rights are. You have a voice, so use it in a meaningful way.”
The colloquium was backed by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AACU), who put forth a message about the importance of voter participation and the necessity for education.
“Educating students to be socially responsible, informed, and engaged citizens should be an expected goal on every campus, in every major. Our democracy depends on a culture that values civic engagement. Campuses can help shape culture and drive civic action within their communities and beyond,” said the AACU in the colloquium email.
Professors were available to answer questions and discussed their personal ideas for pushing this education process.
“I’m always excited by the chance for our community to host difficult conversations that get us thinking,” said Gillespie. “I love posing questions like ‘What does voting have to do with my life?’ or ‘What does an election have to do with racial justice?’ I wanted to have that conversation with a wider group of people.”
This conversation presented by Dr. Gillespie left many students with a positive takeaway.
“Overall, the colloquium went very well. I was satisfied with what everyone had to say and I took away some very important factors, especially from Dr. Gillespie, encouraging each student to participate and input our thoughts from the discussion,” said Bello.
