The violence and hate we all witnessed on January 6th in the United States served as a wake-up call for many who were adamant to ignore the voices of millions of marginalized folk, especially Back women, who have been experiencing and predicting such an outburst for months, if not years. But while most leaders repeated the phrase “this is not who we are”,  those of us who have experienced such hate in our lives in America, quickly recognized the violent side of the United States, one that is usually reserved to inflict on foreign land or tho those deemed “others”.

At the Arrupe Initiatives team, we firmly believe in Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation,  and we are starting the year with a renewed commitment to fight for a just world, dreaming bravely of a world that-could-be. 

In this context, through communal talks, we chose to postpone our I-LEAD session that fell on Inauguration day. This decision came from a deep reflection about the leadership and public health crisis, which was exasperated by the acts of violence at the Capitol and from a fear that those acts would be repeated.  We were also aware that COVID around the world, had experienced another uptick, and wanted our students to take a communal breath before engaging in an academic program. Instead of our regular meeting, we created a space for people to come together and share a piece of art in which they found solace.