Exploring Diversity, Discrimination, Conflict, And Action In Global Perspectives

“We need to learn about Social Justice Movements because their purpose is to advocate for equity for underrepresented groups. This is very important as they have been ignored and discriminated against throughout the history of humanity, and they have never had a voice. Social Justice Movements allow those segregated communities to be heard around the world and therefore create actions. Those actions help produce a social change that little by little will, hopefully, change the social order to live in a more fair world.”                                                                                   

Emilio Zea, Class of 2022

This semester the English and Social Studies Departments collaborated to offer Global Perspectives, an interdisciplinary elective course for tenth and eleventh graders. We offered three sections of the course taught by an English teacher and a Social Studies teacher. We had 29 students working on topics about identity, diversity, discrimination, conflict, and actions to understand social change and social order with a focus on socio-cultural issues in Colombia and in the world.

For our unit about discrimination and conflict, students worked in groups to do research about social justice movements in different parts of the world. Students did research about their movements (historical background, agent-target group dynamics, advocacy and activism), created murals to explain ideas and represent the voices of marginalized communities, and shared their work with students in Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia as well as in class. The conversations about identity, social dynamics, and advocacy were powerful. They promoted understanding and empathy as essential skills to become more globally aware citizens.

Projects Presented In Beatriz Giraldo’s Class

21N

Sebastián Mahecha and Miguel Arboleda

This was a movement that originated from social discomfort towards many problems in Colombia. The movement advocated for the economic security of the people in times where the pandemic attacked individual finances directly. The movement began after the National Government presented to Congress a new tax reform. Also, it is important to mention that the world, in general, was protesting on behalf of the BLM movement.

Feminism

Sofía Angulo, Sebastián Abello, and Andrés Santa

Feminism advocates for social, political, and economic equality of the sexes (Britannica). It stands for respecting women’s diverse experiences, knowledge and strength, and looks to empower all women and defend their rights. To level the field to give the same opportunities to girls and boys. Feminism understands the physical differences between the genders. Therefore, it does not advocate for them to be the same but equal. 

It is difficult to accomplish but achieving social consciousness about the issue is the objective that the movement still needs to work on. There are still many people that know about the existence of the movement; however, they do not pay attention to it or understand its purpose or its message. We would keep trying different communication methods for the message to keep spreading. More sub-movements in social media are necessary, for example, for people to sign and join. In general, the aim is to create and promote social awareness about everything that both the issue and the movement implies.

Projects Presented In Tammy Dobrzynski’s Classes

LGTBQ+ Pride Movement

Pablo Azula, Laura Pardo, and Emilio Zea

Members of the LGBTQ+ Pride Movement have been present throughout the history of humanity, but they have been underrepresented and oppressed. Members of this community have gathered in different groups to protest and demand equality. All of these protests have culminated in the creation of the LGBTQ+ pride movement, which seeks acceptance of their community and equal rights and treatment. Members of this community have created many forms of activism like the #PrideMonth, a month in which they have parades, events, and activities to commemorate the LGBTQ+ community. It gathers important brands, celebrities, and communities around the world. Social media and apps such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok have had an impact on the development, importance, and influence of the community worldwide. Even though this community is influential, there are several countries that still do not accept sexuality legally. A total of 69 countries have laws that criminalize homosexuality.

Me Too Movement

Ana María Sarria, Sophia Flórez, Isabella Silva, and Juan Fernando Ávila

The MeToo movement has gained popularity throughout the years. It started in 2006, when Tarana Burke, used #MeToo to denounce her case of sexual harrasment via MySpace. At the time, the agent group was men and the target group were women of color. As the movement grew, more people joined and shared their stories, expanding both target and agent groups, as anyone can be a target or an agent of sexual abuse since it is not determined by gender. 

The #MeToo movement’s main form of activism is social media. The main network for the movement is Twitter. Women have come forward to accuse powerful men of harassment and misconduct. Many celebrities have also used this platform to express their concern and experiences. The #MeToo is now known all around the world generating protests which have had an influence. Thousands of people have gathered to protest in cities like Los Angeles and Sydney. The #MeToo movement serves as a platform for people who have been sexually assaulted or abused to report their abusers and start healing from their experience.