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Reflecting on the Teach-In Crosses

On the wall in my office, there are two simple crosses. They are made out of Home Depot paint stirrers that I spray-painted white, and they have the names “Emilia Claros, 35” and “Julia Claros, 30” written across them. Students often come into my office and ask what they are – “Is that some sort of arts and crafts project?” Answering these questions always becomes a great teachable moment for me.
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Remembering Hurricane Katrina Seven Years Later

Hurricane Katrina called our entire country to respond to immediate needs and reflect on challenging issues of poverty and race in the aftermath. This call was especially true within the Ignatian family.
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Finding Commonalities, Building Friendships: An Immersion Experience in Belize

Sometimes the hardest part of an immersion experience is returning home. Everything feels, looks, tastes, and sounds a little different than it did before.
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Be A Part of Movement: Bring Living Wage Apparel to the Ignatian Family

I become involved with Alta Gracia -- a living-wage, unionized factory in the Dominican Republic -- and my work led me to an internship with Ethix Ventures, a socially conscious apparel and promotional goods distributor.
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Gonzaga Student Brings Living Wage Apparel to Campus

As Gonzaga University students return to campus this week, they’ll notice a new option in the bookstore for wearing their Zag pride.
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Documentary: Little Things with Passion

BY ISN STAFF | August 20, 2012 written by: Anthony Ford, Boston College '13 - Film Co-Director & Producer In June 2011, my roommate and I went with another friend to shoot a documentary in Uganda. We had a handful of various contacts…
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Who is Your Cause?

Last week Maria sat me down in our kitchen to braid my hair and I started thinking about why I had wanted to come to the Oakland Catholic Worker this summer...
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Solidarity: Living the Life Laid out for Us

In preparation for a service immersion trip, it is hard to predict the kind of experience you will have...
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Like The Olympics But Lots More Winners

This week approximately four hundred Jesuit educators have gathered at Boston College for the first ever International Colloquium on Jesuit Secondary Education.
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Voting for the Common Good in Election 2012

The 2012 election cycle will go down in history as the election where more money was spent than ever before, more attack ads were run on TV, and quite possibly where more Americans got sick of the entire process.
Peace Dove
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Resources and Prayers in Response to the violent acts in Aurora, Colorado

In response to the horrific acts of violence in Aurora, Colorado today (7/20/12) we offer a few resources on gun violence and Catholic teaching on this issues which can be found below.
High School Completion Rates in Appalachia by County (2000)
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Appalachian Mountain Top Removal Mining – A Call to Build A New Model

The recent New York Times article on Mountain Top Removal, “Appalachia Turns on Itself” repeated several arguments often cited to persuade us to limit or eliminate the practice of mountain top removal.

Vote for Solidarity – Reflections on Election 2012

”Vote for Solidarity” offers reflections from Ignatian family on how “being in solidarity” with others will factor into Election 2012.
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“Solidarity: Through love, we are united to one another”

As we walked past the classrooms, beaming faces and tiny hands reached out to us. High pitched “hola’s” followed us everywhere we traveled. Every once in a while, petite hands snaked their way into our grasp or around our waists. We looked down to find shining little eyes staring up at us with curiosity and acceptance. Love poured from their stares, touch, and sweet little voices.
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Supreme Inhumanity? – Arizona Immigration Decision

6/26/12 - Earlier this week the Supreme Court announced their decision on the constitutionality of Arizona's immigration law (SB 1070). The court took a clear stand that constitutional authority to regulate immigration is a federal matter but fell short when it comes to the most inhumane element of the law. By upholding the right of Arizona law enforcement to require any individual detained to produce immigration documents the court has perpetuated the sense of fear and mistrust that many Latino citizens already experience. The U.S. Jesuit Conference, Jesuit Refugee Service USA, and the Kino Border Initiative have offered a public statement on the court's action.
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June 15, 2012 – Obama Administration Announces Immigration Policy Change

BY ISN STAFF | June 15, 2012 The Obama administration made a significant announcement this morning regarding immigration. According to the New York Times administration will "stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal…
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Debt is what they have in common

On July 1, 2012, student loan interest rates in the U.S. are set to double for almost 7.5 million students unless Congress takes action. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle) Jubilee USA is taking this opportunity to call attention to their work for debt relief crippling nations impoverished nations throughout the world. The challenges that U.S. college students (and their families) will face as they incur significant debt to obtain a college degree provides context for the debt crisis facing poor countries. Instead of providing basic services to their citizens, countries use their precious resources to pay debt service to wealthy nations and institutions.

Save the Dates: Arrupe Leaders Summit

BY ISN STAFF | June 5, 2012 Join emerging student leaders and faculty chaperones from Jesuit high schools nationwide for a weekend of networking and empowerment for social justice work!
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Making Big Strides on World Fair Trade Day

May 14th marks World Fair Trade Day, which celebrates the global effort to ensure trade benefits everyone, including the world’s most vulnerable populations. With the current poverty rates (more than 2.7 billion people living on $2 a day) and global effects of unsustainable agriculture and production practices in places like Indonesia and Nicaragua, now is the time to celebrate this fair economic model.
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Solidarity Stories: “Simple” Solidarity

My first experience in Nicaragua was extraordinary and confirmed my notion that when it comes to immersions, there is no such thing as “just another trip.” Past experiences with service immersion trips had me enthusiastic about this opportunity to lead as an assistant director of the Canisius High School Compañeros program. Being partially responsible for eight young men in a foreign country was daunting, yet I was also excited to be in a position of influence for a group of guys who had never had this type of international experience.
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“The voiceless finding a voice” | Oakland Occupy Movement

BY ISN STAFF | April 30, 2012 Written by: Joe Hoover, S.J. In late January, Occupy Oakland held a march to “squat” in a vacant building in downtown Oakland and create an Occupy headquarters and community center. I live in nearby Berkeley…