Michael H. Feldman '67 Social Justice Day Goes Virtual

 
Michael H. Feldman '67 Social Justice Day at CSW serves as a permanent memorial to a young, socially conscious, highly motivated, and engaging CSW alumnus. The program focuses on specific and relevant social justice topics.

This year’s focus was supposed to be the American criminal justice system, but given the current state of the world and the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Social Justice Day Committee decided to postpone this topic for 2021, and instead turn the school’s attention towards COVID-19, exploring the disease through the lens of activism and social justice. 

Students began the day in advisory groups where they read and discussed this article, which highlights the manner in which the coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing social inequities. After, students were prompted to reflect on the following questions:

  • Describe your initial reaction to reading this article? 
  • Did anything surprise you?
  • How does being aware of these realities impact you?
  • What issues of equity and justice have you observed?

After, students prepared for a keynote from media activist Palika Makam, by reading her recent Teen Vogue article and reflecting on the following questions:

  • What does Activism mean to you?
  • How have you been involved in supporting your community?
  • What does community mean to you?
  • What might individuals, employers, institutions, and governments do to mitigate?

Next, the school community gathered for a virtual assembly, to hear directly from Makam, Senior Program Coordinator, United States at WITNESS in Brooklyn, NY. In her address, Makam talked about her own trajectory as an activist and shared insights, strategies, and ideas for budding activists to implement in their own lives. 

Later, students, faculty, and staff were able to choose from 10 breakout student- and faculty-led forums to discuss specific aspects of the coronavirus pandemic as they relate to issues of social justice. Forum topics included: price gouging, PPE’s, xenophobia, issues of race and class, systemic structures, ableism, and environmental racism. Prior to each session, students were tasked with reading an article or watching a video related to their chosen issue, including “Why I Don’t Feel Safe Wearing a Face Mask,” an opinion piece from the Boston Globe, “He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them,” from the New York Times, and The Atlantic documentary, “What Doctors Are Afraid Of.” 

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.