During our trip, we went to the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching, and Service (CSJ). There, Dr. Andria Wisler, Executive Director of CSJ, introduced us to some of CSJ’s initiatives. I had heard about the CSJ briefly earlier, but I did not know the extent and variety of the different projects it undertook. The Center’s work ranges from advising student organizations, leading volunteer programs, teaching students across D.C., and funding research on education and social justice. The CSJ focused on a variety of causes including women’s access to education, ensuring harassment free schools- and streets- for women, disability rights, and political participation of young people. The breadth of the causes and projects pursued by the CSJ made it evident that they knew social justice was a multilayered entity and pursuing it meant focusing on a variety of issues that limit people’s lives and happiness. One thing I admired about the CSJ was that its members were aware of the fact that college campuses, like the general society around them, are not free from social injustices. This is why the CSJ pursued projects both within campus and in the wider D.C. area. The people there were determined to try and understand structural issues that hinder social justice. One of our cohort members was a research fellow at the CSJ and it was great to see that people from the Qatar campus were engaging with established institutions and bodies at the Main Campus.
When I was reading about the CSJ’s work, I came across their “Alternative Breaks Program” (ABP). As participants in the ABP, students visit different communities both within the U.S. and abroad to gain a better understanding of local history and to immerse themselves with the local community. The idea is to highlight some of the concerns faced by the people-which includes issues like food insecurity, poverty, and prison reform. I do think if I had known about this program, I would have loved to participate in it as it would allow me to develop a thorough understanding of the many concerns people face across the world.
Dr. Andria and the rest of the staff and students at the CSJ were very hospitable hosts who served us with Acai bowls and coffee before the start of our discussions. As we were introducing ourselves, Dr Andria encouraged us to talk about our responses to the application prompts for this trip. Even though by this point we had spent a lot of time with each other, we had not discussed our initial interest for this trip. As we went around the table, we all discussed our responses to the prompts that got us accepted into this trip. That was the first time I noticed how diverse the group was, and how, despite our many differences, we all understood the experiences others were sharing. We all could have gone around the table and talked for hours, but we knew our time was limited and Dr Andria wanted us to try and make buttons.
When I first heard that we were making buttons I did not realize how fun the activity would be. Dr Andria demonstrated the process to us, and also told us that not only is button-making a cathartic activity, but buttons also have a history of being essential to advocacy which I thought was fitting considering we were at the CSJ.