2008 Woodie Awards
Club Spotlight: Students for Justice
Politically active club at De Anza College works to spread awareness of social injustices, racial equality on campus
Helen Zou
Issue date: 10/23/06 Section: Features
Monday, October 23, 2006
Students for Justice is De Anza College's own local movement for social change and public awareness. They are the only political club at De Anza and they meet Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Writing and Reading Center room 309 at 12:30 p.m.
SFJ meetings are held under a strictly democratic system, allowing all voices and opinions to be heard. Rather than having a single president preside over all meetings, they elect a new facilitator every month to allow for new perspectives in leadership.
The SFJ have helped organize numerous events and activities to educate and inform the public on topics of social injustices around the world. Such topics include gender rights, racial equality, alleviation of poverty, disaster relief, immigrant rights and any other topic a member wishes to spotlight.
Though some have viewed them as purporting overly liberal sentiments, SFJ sees many of their organized events simply as a promotion of uncommon knowledge and independent thinking regarding pertinent issues of the world. "We're not about bashing anybody. We're about thinking critically" says longtime club member Mark Anthony Medeiros.
Last spring, SFJ held an open forum between two passionate representatives of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. In March, the club helped organize the Youth Empowerment Festival that held workshops to educate young adults of social problems. SFJ also hosts regular documentary showings on campus about various subjects regarding social concerns.
SFJ has been involved with several major protests. One much publicized protest was their demonstrations against Colin Powell when he spoke at the Flint Center last year Nov. 9 and 11.
Various outside groups and students turned the Wednesday and Thursday protest into one of physical force on Friday.
Another less controversial protest was against the fee hikes for community colleges.
This past summer, members of SFJ traveled to New Orleans and joined Common Ground Collective to help clean up ravaged communities.
Their latest upcoming project is to raise voting consciousness by educating the public about propositions and candidates. They are also showing a documentary about the Iraq War in the California History Center at 1:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
"We're not crazy liberal people; we're trying to think critically and whoever wants to engage in a debate that's respectful and intelligent with us is completely and utterly welcome," Medeiros said enthusiastically.
"It's not about spouting liberal ideas or conservative stuff, it's about really taking in consideration issues and doing something."
Students for Justice is De Anza College's own local movement for social change and public awareness. They are the only political club at De Anza and they meet Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Writing and Reading Center room 309 at 12:30 p.m.
SFJ meetings are held under a strictly democratic system, allowing all voices and opinions to be heard. Rather than having a single president preside over all meetings, they elect a new facilitator every month to allow for new perspectives in leadership.
The SFJ have helped organize numerous events and activities to educate and inform the public on topics of social injustices around the world. Such topics include gender rights, racial equality, alleviation of poverty, disaster relief, immigrant rights and any other topic a member wishes to spotlight.
Though some have viewed them as purporting overly liberal sentiments, SFJ sees many of their organized events simply as a promotion of uncommon knowledge and independent thinking regarding pertinent issues of the world. "We're not about bashing anybody. We're about thinking critically" says longtime club member Mark Anthony Medeiros.
Last spring, SFJ held an open forum between two passionate representatives of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. In March, the club helped organize the Youth Empowerment Festival that held workshops to educate young adults of social problems. SFJ also hosts regular documentary showings on campus about various subjects regarding social concerns.
SFJ has been involved with several major protests. One much publicized protest was their demonstrations against Colin Powell when he spoke at the Flint Center last year Nov. 9 and 11.
Various outside groups and students turned the Wednesday and Thursday protest into one of physical force on Friday.
Another less controversial protest was against the fee hikes for community colleges.
This past summer, members of SFJ traveled to New Orleans and joined Common Ground Collective to help clean up ravaged communities.
Their latest upcoming project is to raise voting consciousness by educating the public about propositions and candidates. They are also showing a documentary about the Iraq War in the California History Center at 1:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
"We're not crazy liberal people; we're trying to think critically and whoever wants to engage in a debate that's respectful and intelligent with us is completely and utterly welcome," Medeiros said enthusiastically.
"It's not about spouting liberal ideas or conservative stuff, it's about really taking in consideration issues and doing something."