By: Erica Carosella Lions Eye Editor, emc6201@psu.edu

The Penn State Brandywine Campus hosted Social Justice week from March 28 to April 1 with the theme of “Social Justice and Environmental Racism” directed at both global and local community activism.

Social justice week this year featured many workshops and speakers. It kicked off on Monday with a clothing swap to help push the concept of sustainable fashion, and a foundational lecture led by Mike Ewell, founder and director of the Energy Justice Network entitled “Environmental Racism in Your Backyard: How it Affects You and How You Can End It.” Friday, the events were capped by a luncheon and conversation with Patrick McDonnell, secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection who informed listeners on the progress being made within the Pennsylvania government in terms of environmental activism. Other notable events included a “Toxic Tour” which took bus passengers on a guided tour through Chester, PA to show examples of environmental racism. Teach-in sessions and a student activism workshop also rounded out the week’s activities.

The social justice fair this year not only helped give students and the campus community an understanding of exactly what environmental racism is, but also assisted listeners on their journey to understanding what social justice means to them as an individual.

“For me social justice means that we are always uplifting communities that are oftentimes marginalized and disenfranchised and do not have equal access to opportunities and resources in our communities across the globe,” said Vippy Yee Director of Ethics and Civic Engagement.

During the week’s events the social justice fair pushed the idea of enlightening the campus community about environmental racism and gave students a chance to understand how to make change in the world.

“I hope the campus community comes away from this with an awareness of these issues. So, if they didn’t know about any of these issues, they now have new vocabulary and ideas about them. What I really hope is that they will be moved to action in some way and that they are so inspired to go out and learn more on their own,” said Yee.