Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Students of Southeast Asian heritage share their culture with the JHS community at the Community Celebration Assembly.
Celebrating Jesuit's First Social Justice Week Jesuit’s first-ever Social Justice Week took place from March 15-19, 2021, and offered a time to focus intentionally on justice/injustice; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); human dignity; cultural identity; sustainability; life issues; and more. During the week, Jesuit students and teachers explored how to continue to grow as an equitable, inclusive and antiracist school while learning how to, listen, dialogue, act, and celebrate the Jesuit community. A new event called Jesuit Day of Community and Action (JDOCA) occurred on Wednesday, March 17. Jesuit was proud to welcome Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton as its first-ever Social Justice Week keynote speaker. Mr. Hinton spent 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. Bryan Stevenson – acclaimed public interest attorney, bestselling author of Just Mercy, and Equal Justice Initiative founder – ultimately convinced the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Mr. Hinton’s conviction unanimously. The Jesuit community had the immense privilege of hearing Mr. Hinton’s story and learning about his work as an Equal Justice Initiative Educator who advocates for abolition of the death penalty, a position consistent with Catholic Social Teaching.
Anthony Ray Hinton shared his story as the first keynote speaker for Social Justice Week.
criminal justice system and why our Jesuit mission of being committed to serving God and others is so important to our school community.” Following the keynote, students, faculty, and staff participated in a series of workshops led by Jesuit community members. From combating Anti-Asian Racism, Women in Politics, gentrification, mental health, climate change, and many more, workshop topics encouraged thoughtful discussions through-
“Our keynote speaker was definitely one of the highlights of Social Justice Week,” said Brenda Cruz Jaimes, associate director of DEI. “Mr. Hinton’s story provided the Jesuit community with an opportunity to learn more about racism in the
•
14
•
