CSU Pueblo panel discussion focuses on local social justice issues

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Pueblo leaders shared some of their insights on social justice Thursday during the “Social Justice and the Status of America Today” panel discussion at Colorado State University Pueblo.
Panel members discussed several issues impacting Pueblo including homelessness, education inequality and economic development. Panelist DuShante Carmon, grants and program manager for CSU Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research, served as the evening’s guest speaker and spoke about the impact of economic inequities on the education and health of people of color.
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“Most of the time when we talk about social justice, we just think about minorities and the cops,” he said. “That’s actually not what social justice is really about. It talks about fairness and opportunities of fairness … economic sustainability is really hard for a lot of minorities around the country, because they don’t have the opportunities economically to compete with certain groups, or the privileged groups.”
Whether it’s the ability to afford a four-year college degree, access to a grocery store or access to “cultural capital,” centuries of racism have created economic inequalities that impact minority groups in a multitude of ways, Carmon said.
During the panel discussion, retired political science professor Colette Carter said communities need to have a concrete objective in mind when addressing social justice issues.
“It’s fine to say, ‘We’re all working for social justice,’ but what does that mean?” Carter said. “It’s got to be something concrete. Is there an issue in your neighborhood? Are people dumping garbage and trash? Are there lots that are not cleaned up? Do you see this is a problem? Can we come together and see if we can come up with a solution? In other words, vague generalities just don’t make people come together.”
One issue Pueblo faces that requires a “concrete” solution is the city’s shortage of affordable housing stock, which has been a contributing factor to rates of homelessness, Carter said.
Ray Brown, president of the Pueblo Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission, said a lack of employment opportunities for young adults also has negatively impacted the city.
“We have little employment for young people,” he said. “When they graduate from school here, a lot of them leave town because there is nothing here for them.”
Denise Torrez, the president of El Movimiento Sigue, a local organization rooted in the Chicano movement, discussed the organization’s advocacy for “community schools” with wraparound services specific to a neighborhood’s needs. She also discussed efforts to transform the local criminal justice system.
“We truly have a debtors incarceration system,” she said. “So many people are in sitting in jail now because they can’t afford a $200 bond.”
For Roxana Mack, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Pueblo branch, empathy is an important part of addressing social justice issues.
“We know the issues,” she said. “We know we need a better education system. We know we need better paying jobs. We know we need affordable housing but this is what the whole segment wants … what we need to do is just put ourselves in our neighbor’s shoes.”
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Shayla Wilson, president of the Black Student Union at CSU Pueblo, spoke about serving the local community as a student leader.
“We’ve had students of all different races join the Black Student Union,” she said. “It’s not just about proving that we’re here. It’s about making sure that every one of those students who are in that group know that they matter, know that their education matters, know that they have the PACK Center to go to when they need help, know that they have tutors on campus to help them, know that they can ask other people for advice on financial aid.”
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JB******@ga*****.com.
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