The Norman Transcript

Local news

November 21, 2009

OU students call for social justice

When many people look at today's college students, they see an apathetic bunch.

University of Oklahoma student Caitlyn Wright disagrees.

"Students at OU do care," said Wright, a women's and gender studies major.

She said OU students want to make a difference in their world, but they often don't know how. They've been waiting, Wright said, for a avenue to channel their activism.

That's what they'll get in the OU Center for Social Justice.

The center was launched Thursday. Although it's part of the Women's and Gender Studies Program, the center will connect activists from all areas of campus to facilitate more efforts for social justice locally, nationally and globally, WGS director Jill Irvine said.

She said the center is a result of students taking the initiative because they want to help others now, not after they graduate or have settled down.

The center will provide internships, events, service learning, mentorships and research addressing a variety of issues, including human trafficking, violence against Native American women, fair trade and feminism in Islam.

It's appropriate that the center is housed within Women's and Gender Studies, said Charlotte Bunch, director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership in Douglas College at Rutgers University.

Injustices are often practiced against women, but the involvement of women is also important in order to right social injustices, Bunch said.

"Women in my lifetime have always played an important role," she said.

She said women often are the leaders of movements to facilitate social change. That's always been the case, she said, but recently women are gaining more visible roles in movements.

Bunch herself got started as an activist during the movement for civil rights for blacks as a college student in the South in the 1960s. Women played a major role in bringing lasting change to the U.S., she said.

"But they weren't the visible leaders because the visible leaders at that time were mostly men," she said.

Bunch started the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers in order to give to others the life-changing experiences she had when she was introduced to activism in college. Irvine said OU's Center for Social Justice is modeled after the center at Rutgers.

Julianna Parker Jones 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com



On the Net:

OU Center for Social Justice, peace.ou.edu

OU Women's and Gender Studies Program, wgs.ou.edu

Text Only
Local news
  • Wrestler loses bout with AML

    The University of Oklahoma wrestling program was delivered a severe blow Tuesday when team members found out Ronnie Balfour died at the M.D. Anderson hospital in Houston. Before he died, he had been put on life support after battling Acute ...

    February 22, 2012

  • Man charged with manslaughter

    Norman police have identified the victim of Monday evening’s two-vehicle crash on State Highway 9 as Safari Belay McDoulett, 36, of Oklahoma City. McDoulett died at the scene at Highway 9 and 120th Avenue Southeast, police said....

    February 22, 2012

  • Inmates waiting for court hearing held in jury room

    Jail inmates awaiting court hearings were detained in the jury room of a Cleveland County district judge early last week because sheriff’s deputies didn’t have any place else to house them....

    February 22, 2012

  • Congress to Campus Educational outreach program gives insight into government

    Former U.S. Reps. David Minge, D-Minn., and Nick Smith, R-Mich., hosted an informal discussion and answered questions Tuesday evening from attending students in the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Auditorium of Gaylord Hall....

    February 22, 2012 2 Photos 1 Video

  • Home spared from car fire

    Though a company car at 3617 Quail Springs Drive caught fire Tuesday night, quick action from the homeowners prevented the flames from spreading....

    February 22, 2012

  • Wrecker rotation changes proposed by Norman police

    The Norman Police Department is making changes in the city’s wrecker service policy to enhance safety and efficiency. The new policy outlines procedures for either a rotation or a bid process, though — for now — the rotation will continue....

    February 22, 2012

  • Professor to speak about drinking water

    A former University of Oklahoma professor wants to talk to you about Norman’s drinking habits — drinking water, that is....

    February 22, 2012

  • International speaker to present program about Middle East art

    As business and the economy thrive in the Middle East, art and culture are following the same trend....

    February 22, 2012

  • NHS theatre students to perform Shakespearean spin-off

    Drama productions aren’t often life or death, but students at Norman High School will explore the meaning of life sometimes seriously — sometimes comically — in their upcoming production....

    February 22, 2012

  • Authority reconsiders panel installation after price increase

    Although the Cleveland County Jail Authority had previously planned on installing acoustic panels throughout the F. DeWayne Beggs Detention Center, a 322 percent increase in price has caused them to reconsider....

    February 22, 2012

The Business Marquee
Facebook