By Kristine Mantilla '22
“Fighting for justice is a relay race. We must pass the baton to see justice move forward.” These are the words Father Massingale conveyed at this year’s Ignatian Family
Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C. that I, along with 15 other students from ND, recently participated in. The three-day conference was filled with sessions on social justice and opportunities for Chez Nous sisters to bond.
The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled a myriad of social justice issues that occur in society from racism, migration, and housing. While we learned about the effects of these issues separately, the biggest lesson out of all the sessions, to me, was how they are all interconnected. Father Massingale, a keynote speaker at the Teach-In, detailed that inequalities in housing, environment, education, and more, can all be rooted in
racism. At the Teach-In, we learned the importance of our voices, specifically how to use our voices to stand in solidarity with those who are marginalized and in need of justice. He characterized this as running in a relay race--we need to do our part in the race by first speaking up, then by passing the baton and, by listening. I’m happy to say that running the relay race is what we did. On November 8, we headed off to the Supreme Court and met with government employees Alexis Segal and Anna McDonald who work for Senator Feinstein and Congressman Weeks, respectively. On the steps, we expressed our concerns on issues like migration, climate change, and sex trafficking to them in hopes they will relay our perspective to higher-ups in the government.
While this experience was mainly informative on topics of social justice and spirituality, it also brough the opportunity for us to bond. Traveling to D.C. required
solidarity with all students and teachers. Four students boarded in one hotel room, making getting to know one another better inevitable. We ate dinner together before collaborating on the speech prepared for Ms. Segal and Ms. McDonald the next day. Through this year’s Teach-in, I know I can say I feel much closer to my classmates than before.
I invite you all to participate in the relay race for justice. Speak up when you feel something isn’t right and make sure you listen to others on their struggles, responding with understanding and compassion.
Editors: Karina Mirenda '23, Adithi Vimalanathan '22, Natalia Cseh '23, Ms. Brilliant
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