Education for Justice Schedules Free, Public Events for Spring Semester

The University of Scranton’s Education for Justice Office will sponsor a performance, a lecture/discussion and conduct a literacy teach-in this spring that are open to the public and free of charge.

Natalina Serna, a Colombia-American musician, will perform on Monday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in the Moscovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center on campus. Serna is also a sociologist who volunteered at the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) soup kitchen in Nogales, Mexico in 2009, where she wrote songs about migrants trying to move across the border between Sonora, Mexico and Nogales, Arizona. During the time she devoted to volunteering, Serna met a variety of people at different stages of life. The University will also screen “El Deportado,” a film that explores the dehumanizing effects of the immigration process and the response of the KBI to restore dignity and hope. The film follows the journeys of a young man attempting to cross the border to see his infant son and of a young woman living out the dreams of her parents.

A daylong literacy teach-in will take place on Thursday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. in the DeNaples Center. University of Scranton theology professor Springs Steele, Ph.D., will present “Religions of the World” from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Patrick D. Rogers, S.J., executive director of the University’s Jesuit Center, will present from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Scranton psychology professor Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., will present “Environmental Literacy” from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Scranton professors Cyrus P. Olsen III, D.Phil., associate professor of theology/religious studies, and Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the University’s Hope Horn Gallery and adjunct professor Art and Music Program, will present on “Feminist art of Judy Chicago” from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Scranton professors Patricia Harrington, Ed.D., interim associate provost for academic affairs, and Michael Sulzinski, Ph.D., professor of biology, will present “HIV/AIDS Issues” from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

On Thursday, April 27, Pennsylvania State Senator John Blake will discuss the state’s role in economic revitalization at 11:30 a.m. in the fourth floor McDonnell room of the DeNaples Center. Lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 11:50 a.m. It is expected to conclude at 12:45 p.m. The event is cosponsored by the University’s Community and Government Relations, Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, The Jesuit Center, and Faculty and Staff Senates. Reservations are required to attend this event.

The Education for Justice Office promotes justice throughout the University’s community through various programs, lectures and activities. The office wishes to educate students on the importance of justice, so they may act ethically when faced with justice themes in the future. The office’s biennial theme for programming for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years has focused on literacy.

For more information, email justice-education@scranton.edu or call 570-941-4051.