Lessons in social justice

Omar E. Zapata | THE RIDER

With COVID-19 restricting in-person volunteering for MLK Day of Service, UTRGV Leadership and Mentoring office held virtual events to teach students about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement. 

Vanessa Sandoval, program coordinator for Leadership and Social Change under Leadership and Mentoring, told The Rider the department usually partners with various other departments and organizations but went virtual this year for the safety of students and participants. 

On Monday, the department screened “I Am Not Your Negro” via Zoom, and Sandoval said the film highlights King and his mission and work toward social justice. 

“This year, we really wanted to showcase a bit more behind why we serve, what were the goals and the social justice movements that Martin Luther King was a part of and [the documentary] highlights other civil rights leaders that worked in those social justice movements as well,” she said. 

A workshop titled “Black Lives Matter: Myth vs. Movement” with guest speaker Alexandra Hughes, assistant director of Students Rights and Responsibilities and a lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy, was the second event held on Tuesday via Zoom. 

“She highlighted a bit of what was or what is the movement of Black Lives Matter, what are some myths, misconceptions and then, what really is the movements behind and how does that come into play today and tie in with what MLK was fighting for about 50 years ago,” Sandoval said. 

Hughes told The Rider one of the things she wants people to take away from the workshop is to be up to date with a lot of different historical events that have happened in recent years and how they are connected with the movement. 

“I think, a lot of times we live in our bubbles in a lot of ways and so, for us, we don’t really necessarily recognize the way things are connected,” she said. “And so, luckily, we’re able to go to sessions and webinars and things to be able to kind of create a level of awareness.”

Hughes said the biggest thing when it comes to the BLM movement is to understand it is not a one-idea type of thing. 

“It truly is an organization that really wants to make sure that there is equality, equity and justice and accountability for everyone,” she said. 

Hughes said the work and ideas of King were, in a way, for us to exist in a place where we are not judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character. 

“Having conversations with people, because we all have different perspectives, we’ve all lived different lives and so being able to come together and talk and have respect for one another, I think all of that’s important,” she said. “And all of that works in regards to, you know, the idea behind MLK Day of Service.”  

Asked how important it is to have these workshops and conversations with the Rio Grande Valley being largely Latino, Hughes replied, extremely important. 

“It helps to kind of frame some of the events that are going on that maybe people do not necessarily come into contact with all the time,” she said. “The reality is that the Hispanic population and Latino community is very much so a part of BLM in more ways than one. I think, just because of the location of the Valley, it’s probably not as apparent, you know, as it is in other places. But the fight, or the idea behind it, is to make sure that all people, you know, have that the ability to live and exist in a space in which their lives have an inherent value.” 

Leslie Ramirez, a mass communication junior who attended the event, told The Rider the workshop was a lot to “unpack” but that she learned how embedded racism is in the country and society. 

“I think it’s really important to have these conversations, because a lot of people down here are very closed-minded and they think because we live in an area that is mostly Latino, they think racism towards the Black community isn’t a problem,” she said. 

With Black History Month in a few weeks, Sandoval said the department is finalizing a list of events and is hoping to have a couple of more similar workshops for the month.