lessons in social activism

One of my favorite fringe benefits of working on a college campus is the broad assortment of speakers and exhibits that come through - particularly on my current campus, with its institutional culture that places such a high value on social activism. It means having beliefs challenged, often in an informative, thoughtful way, and I love it. In the past few weeks, there have been two campaigns that really felt impactful.

First was the Eyes Wide Open exhibition, which uses footwear to visually demonstrate the fatalities of the Iraq War. Rows of combat boots represent the American servicepeople who have been killed (one pair of boots for each fatality) and these rows are circled by pairs of civilian shoes representing the thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died. On our campus, the exhibit was focused specifically on the servicepeople from this state - so there were (I think) 68 pairs of boots - and just that small number of boots was striking to see.

Then this afternoon, environmentalist Larry Gibson spoke on campus. To hear him discuss his commitment...to see that he feels so strongly about his work that he's brought to tears as he discusses his frustrations...to listen to him challenge the students to find their passion - it was inspiring. This is what he's committed his life to, simply because he believes it's the right thing.

It's so cool to see the students learning about more than just the academic stuff...and even cooler to have the opportunity to sit and learn with them.

Where I am: home
What I'm reading: the latest Chronicle of Higher Education