“Cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of diversity is crucial for the improvement of an individual,” Michelle Lorenzini, coordinator of Atlas Week, said.
Saint Louis University’s Atlas Week is a one-week program that was created in 2001. During the week, which is March 20 to 27 this year, organizations and departments are invited to coordinate events according to the theme.
This year’s theme is Global and Local Justice: The UN Millennium Development Goal.
The Atlas Committee organizes the week, and has considerably grown in the past 10 years.
“I ask students who want to be involved in the event, and I usually get individuals with strong interests in international social justice issues,” Lorenzini said. “This is perfect, since the point of the program is to raise awareness about global challenges among the SLU community, and also to inspire action about global challenges.”
There are a total of 85 events scheduled in this year’s Atlas Week. The Signature Symposium is one of the week’s main events, and it is presented by internationally renowned speakers who have dedicated their lives to issues of political and social justice.
This year, the Keynote Speaker is Huawa Ibrahim, but there is also a special guest speaker, the Haitian Ambassador Raymond Joseph.
Ibrahim’s talk is titled “Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.” Ibrahim is a senior partner and the Pro-Bono Legal Aid Counsel in the General Law Practice of the Aries Law Firm located in Abuja, Nigeria.
“She is one of the top defenders of women’s rights in Nigeria, and has successfully challenged convictions under strict Islamic Sharia law in her country,” Lorenzini said. “This event will be held in the Wool Ballrooms of the Busch Student Center Wednesday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m.”
“I cannot wait to see Ibrahim, because she fought for social justice in the most extreme and volatile circumstances. Her successes in defending women against extreme, sexist Sharia laws, especially as a woman herself, stand as truly inspiring achievements,” freshman Priya Sirohi said. “I am highly interested in hearing her story and learning about her ideologies. We should all seek people such as her as role models for social justice and equality, and therefore I am extremely excited that she is coming here to speak.”
On Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. in the Wool Ballrooms, Joseph will talk about conditions on the ground of Haiti, plans for moving forward and what the SLU community can do to help and get involved.
Jesse Sullivan, special assistant to Haitian Ambassador for Relief and Construction and founder of One World at SLU will be accompanying the Haitian Ambassador.
“I’ve done this program for nine years now, and at the end of the week students were very depressed; they heard about all these problems but didn’t know what to do about them,” Lorenzini said. “That’s why, recently, we have been implementing ways that SLU students can help out in the global community. Jessie Sullivan is a good example of this.”
Lily Berman, a freshman, said she is looking forward to Atlas Week.
“I am a part of SLU Jews, and they are having an Israeli come teach an Israeli cultural dance to students next week. We will also have a soldier from the Israeli fighting force to share his experiences,” Berman said. “That’s why Atlas Week is such a great idea; it is informing students and teaching them that we, as a community, should be tolerant of other cultures.”
