Influential Texts
Starting off my college career at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire was difficult for me because social justice issues weren’t really discussed. I have decided to list my influential texts as texts that made me decide to come to Hamline to pursue Social Justice, therefore they are listed in chronological order.
I read The Psychology Major's Handbook during my 2nd semester at UW – Eau Claire. I was pretty positive I was going to be a psychology major until this class and this book. It was basically a class and a book that told you all about what you could do with your psychology major. It was intended to weed out the people who weren’t really sure about the major; it definitely did that for me. I thought psychology was going to be more emotions based than science. However, it did point me to social work; the only other major at Eau Claire I felt might fit what I wanted. Whenever people have asked me what I want to do I’ve always said, I just want to do good in the world, at least until recently when I’ve figured out more of what I do want. Social work does good in the world.
In social work, we read the UN Declaration of Human Rights. I started feeling like this was a better fit. Except in the field, it felt like we were going to be helping people “cross over bridges” many times, sometimes trying to “build bridges” for them. (This was the kind of language that we used). I wanted to understand why the bridges weren’t there or why the river was so wide in the first place. I also wanted to prevent the need for the bridge. I wanted everyone to be on one side. I basically wanted equity. I also didn’t understand why we were using metaphors such as bridges rather than understanding the real issues that people go through. I decided to take a bit of what felt right from this and more of what I knew I wanted and ended up with Liberal Studies, which was basically a create your own major.
I read White Like Me for an education studies class. I was finally reading books that were exactly what I wanted to talk about! Tim Wise explores how whiteness impacted his life and unpacks how racial identity impacts white Americans. He discusses how whiteness and privilege can ultimately harm everyone in the long run. I loved this class and everything about it. The topic was amazing and I wanted to talk about these things all the time. This was the summer before my last semester at Eau Claire. I had conversations about racial issues in schools and in institutions. We also looked at ourselves and how we hold certain beliefs and prejudices. I learned so much about how I thought I went to such a diverse high school and how I was always so proud of that but I was in advanced placement classes and how that was just another way to segregate people. During this summer class I thought more about justice issues than I ever had and I was in my element. I knew this is what I had to be doing. I knew I wanted to continue talking to people who were passionate and who cared. I knew I wanted to be in classrooms where it was OK and sometimes necessary to cry because ‘what the hell is wrong with the world and with the systems that have been setup’. I wanted to continue to question what I had learned and to continue to learn all I could. I learned more in this summer class than I had in my two previous years at Eau Claire.
Sundown Towns was also influential because I saw Loewen give a speech on it at Eau Claire. It was amazing and I learned so much. I was amazed to learn the term “Sundown town”. Which is an all white neighborhood that basically practice segregation through laws, intimidation or violence. I learned about how the 9 o’clock whistle that was so familiar to me growing up, which I was always told was a curfew for children was actually from when towns were Sundown Towns and it was an indication to people of other races to get out. I was shocked because not many students were in attendance and furthermore, no students went to the reception with him afterwards. I went to the reception and was able to talk to Loewen and had him sign my book! I was really sad that I wasn’t able to talk to my peers about my experience and share our thoughts. That was when I submitted my application to Hamline because I knew I needed to study Social Justice.
Finally at Hamline! Justice and the Politics of Difference was read in the intro to social justice class at the end of the semester. First off, I loved this class. People were finally speaking a language that I could get behind. Also, people were talking and they were talking about things that excited me. They made me think about topics in ways that I hadn’t before. This book was amazing because it made me think about my and others identities and how that impacts daily life more in depth than I previously had. Young discussed these issues in ways that gave me knowledge to understand what frustrated me having previously not. I could begin to understand the how or the why at the core.
The Good Food Revolution was from my 1st semester at Hamline. It really introduced me to the topic of food justice and sustainability, along with my catalyst trip to Milwaukee in which I was able to visit Growing Power, the organization that Will Allen started. It was influential because I discovered a passion of mine I never knew existed, which is sustainability and urban gardening. This led me to an internship with the Hamline Sprout Garden. I was interested in what people could do on a local community level to impact the food movement, Will Allen did that and it has been continuing to grow.
Consumer Society discusses issues of consumption and American culture around consumption. It really gets at the core of my passion and interests. I am very curious about ethical consumption practices and how we can create a more sustainable society. Or if that is even possible under our current Capitalist, consuming society. I feel fortunate to have even been exposed to these concepts. I was able to find something that is what I want to continue to research and fight in my life.