Social Justice, Advocacy & Moving Forward with Hope
“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”
~Maya Angelou
As you do this work, you will have the opportunity to examine and challenge biases you may have about any of the social determinants of health, as well as the inequities we’ve discussed in this module. You also have the opportunity to partner with your campus in advocating for systems change within the overall education system.
Depending on what your peer role looks like on campus, your work may include creating community connections and building spaces centered on belonging and inclusion.
There’s a lot we can do to change the systems that we live within when we learn how to use our voices and speak up with those who are marginalized. It’s also important to acknowledge our resilience and the capacity we all have to heal from the impacts of unjust systems, prejudice and stigma, as we work towards wholeness.
There is hope and a way forward. You and your campus can make a difference!
It is really hard to bear witness to so much pain and strife in the world. Our greatest challenge is to witness all these injustices, and yet not lose ourselves in the pain. We must remember to prioritize hope and make space for connection, laughter, and joy. We must not let anger for injustice consume our own humanity.
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
~Martin Luther King Jr.