“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
—the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
We did something new at PLU for Spring 2015: We themed the whole semester.
It was hard to miss the prevalent pattern in our jam-packed spring calendar: event after event dealing with crucial, relevant justice-related topics, from sexual assault and environmental justice to the removal of indigenous children from families and the youngest voices of the Holocaust. Even better, these topics were the foundations of programs developed and supported all across campus and open, free, to the community—film screenings, discussions, interactive workshops, lectures, rallies and the prestigious Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education.
As a result, we debuted the first-ever Spring Spotlight Series, four months of events that naturally fell under the perfectly PLU theme “…and justice for all?”
The semester focus was such a natural fit, we decided to take the concept one step further and devote this whole edition of ResoLUTE to the justice theme, too.
Justice—and the search for justice—is one of The Big Three pillars of Pacific Lutheran University (along with diversity and sustainability).
“Justice values are embedded in who we are as an institution, academic programs, faculty, staff and students,” said Joel Zylstra, director of PLU’s Center for Community Engagement and Service. “This semester represents a commitment to collaboration across divisions and departments, and showcasing the many events that challenge each of us to live more thoughtfully. These programs hold us accountable to live our stated values and invite us to reflect on justice issues on our campus, in our local community and around the world.”
The monthly Spring Spotlight Series posters on this page were distributed around campus and the community; they’ll give you an idea of the amazing array of justice-themed events at PLU from February to May. You can get a much deeper look at some of the events and topics—and their profound impact—throughout this edition of online ResoLUTE.
(P.S.: We’ll publish another themed edition of ResoLUTE in September 2015 in honor of PLU’s 125th anniversary, featuring, among other awesomeness, the Commencement Day visit of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway!)
