Give justice, not cynicism

Cynicism about the holidays is the gift that no one wants — instead, choose to give back to your community by taking a few seconds to donate items you no longer need.

Staff
November 20, 2014

There is a small brown box on the first floor of Bobet Hall.

Have you seen it? It’s propped against the wall, next to the candy dispensers.

That box has been there all semester, with but one request: that you fill it up with books.

If you were to take the time to look into that box, you wouldn’t find much.

We speak often of living a life that is committed to justice and faith in our community, but looking inside that box makes us wonder to what extent we actually live by those ideals.

Loyola community, we ask that you take a moment to look inside that box. If we can’t possibly do something as easy as filling up a box with books, then how can we see ourselves as capable of stepping up to the challenge of promoting justice on a larger scale?

We stress this in the spirit of Thanksgiving, yes, but also because we’re pretty sick of holiday cynicism.

Yes, we are aware that Thanksgiving is one big exercise in commercialism and that it glosses over some rather awful abuses of Native Americans at the hands of white settlers.

The irony behind the fact that Black Friday directly follows Thanksgiving is pretty impossible to miss for anyone who’s ever watched a #WalmartFights video.

However, there are plenty of people around the city who could benefit a lot more from one selfless act than your snarky criticism of the holidays.

Here at the Maroon, we are taking it upon ourselves to help fill that box up by bringing in books, but we have also set up our own box on the first floor of the Mass Communication building.

We will be collecting various items for Hagar’s House, a local organization of our choosing. Hagar’s House is a sanctuary for women and children in New Orleans. We think they provide a great service to the community by empowering those in need without regard to race, religion, creed, color, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or gender identity. We have noted several items in need.

Rest assured, we aren’t preaching to you from some pulpit. We don’t see ourselves as saviors, nor do we want others to do so. We think of ourselves as people who fully appreciate whatever privileges we have and want to assure that others have them as well.

Think of it in these terms: when we donate a coat, for example, we should do it because we appreciate how much being warm means to us as human beings. We want other human beings to share in that feeling. That’s what justice should mean to us.

That box in Bobet Hall is looking pretty empty as of now. We want you all to go take a look inside that box. Then, take another moment to do some good. Donate a few of your own books — textbooks, picture books, comics, or novels.

Think of it as practice. Promoting justice won’t always be as easy as dropping a few books into a box.

Hagar’s House

www.hagarshousenola.org
504.210.5064

A sanctuary for women and children in New Orleans that provides an open residential enviroment and safe space to transiton into permanent housing. They are in need of the following supplies:

Bedding supplies

Twin-sized comforters and blankets

Twin-sized sheets

bathroom & personal care items

Recycled toilet paper

Shaving cream and razors

Feminine care products

Shampoo, conditioner, soap

Children’s items

Diapers and baby wipes

Kid’s computer games

New or gently used toys