Social Justice Week 2026 - Breaking the Mirror: Unpacking Identity
Jesuit High School's Social Justice Week is a time to intentionally focus on issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through the lens of human dignity. In the Ignatian tradition of forming people for and with others, students move from awareness to action, not only learning about matters of social justice, but also acquiring tools to be advocates for change in their communities. Social Justice Week exercises the head, heart, hand, and voice of each member of the Jesuit High School community.
This year's Social Justice Week, held March 9-13, 2026, will focus on "Breaking the Mirror: Unpacking Identity." During this week, we aim to cultivate a deeper understanding of how identity intersects with various forms of social justice. We aspire to engage our students, faculty, and community in meaningful conversations that empower them to harness the power of their voice for the greater good, uphold human dignity, and address the moral challenges that emerge in today's world.
- Social Justice Week 2025
- Social Justice Week 2024
- Social Justice Week 2023
- Social Justice Week 2022
- Social Justice Week 2021
Social Justice Week 2025
Social Justice Week 2025: Criminal Justice
Social Justice Week, held March 10-14, 2025, focused on Criminal Justice. By exploring systemic inequalities, mass incarceration, and the balance between justice and reconciliation, the Jesuit community engaged in meaningful conversations, empowering all to advocate for human dignity and address the moral challenges that emerge in today's world.
Jesuit High School's Social Justice Week is a time to intentionally focus on issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through the lens of human dignity. In the Ignatian tradition of forming people for and with others, students move from awareness to action, not only learning about matters of social justice, but also acquiring tools to be advocates for change in their communities. Social Justice Week exercises the head, heart, hand and voice of each member of the Jesuit High School community.
Keynote Speaker: Ethan Thrower
This year's keynote speaker was Ethan Thrower, a social worker at Open School, an alternative high school in Southeast Portland, who is committed to social justice and restorative practices. He is the author of A Kids Book About Incarceration.
Ethan spoke to students about his own lived experience and urged students to see the humanity in others and advocate for systemic reform in the criminal justice system.
What does Social Justice Week consist of?
Social Justice Week exercises the head, heart, hand, and voice of each member of the Jesuit High School community. Students will move from awareness to action, not only learning about matters of social justice, but also acquiring tools to be advocates for change in their communities. During the week, students will be able to participate in:
- Three days of presentations, workshops, and actions (students sign up through Canva)
- Community Celebration Assembly
- Mass highlighting the multilingual Jesuit community
More about Social Justice Week
Social Justice Week focuses on collective learning, relationship building, and avenues for advocacy. Each member in our community will partake in workshops, seminars, and creative expressions to learn more about topics of interest. Each year will have a theme, picked by students the year before. This week allows the Jesuit community to analyze and better understand the ways in which historically, economically, socially, and politically marginalized communities have experienced injustice. In the Ignatian tradition of forming people with and for others, Social Justice Week gives students the opportunity to not only learn about injustice but find ways in which their voices can bring forth change.
Criminal Justice Presentation Topics Included:
- Integrating Education into the Prison System
- Left Without a Parent: What Happens to Children with Incarcerated Parents
- Predictive Policing: Tool or Just Cruel?
- Justice in Mind: Criminal Justice and Mental Health
- Georgetown Slavery Archive and Treatment of Indigenous Peoples
- Artificial Intelligence in Criminal Justice
- Abuse and Neglect in Women's Prisons
- Is the Death Penalty Ethical?
- Floods, Fires & Felonies: How Climate Justice Reshapes Crime and Justice
- Court of Public Opinion: The Effects of Media on Criminal Cases
- Pathways to Ending Mass Incarceration in Oregon
Social Justice Week 2025
Social Justice Week 2024
Social Justice Week 2024:
Artificial Intelligence & Ethical Tech Use
Recognizing the immense potential of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to impact our lives, Jesuit High School held its annual Social Justice Week from March 11-15, 2024 to raise awareness about the ethical considerations surrounding the development and use of AI. Students thoughtfully engaged with this rapidly evolving field and were empowered to use technology in alignment with our values and the promotion of the common good and human dignity.
During Social Justice Week, we worked to cultivate a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence, its capabilities, and its potential consequences. We aspired to engage our students, faculty, and community in meaningful conversations that empower them to harness the power of technology for the greater good, uphold human dignity, and address the moral challenges emerging in this digital age.
Keynote Speakers: Serena Oduro '16 & Spencer Wagner
Serena Oduro '16 is a Senior AI Policy Analyst at the Data & Society Research Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Serena spoke to students and staff about AI's social implications and the need for regulation. Spencer Wagner, a faculty member at Regis Jesuit High School in Denver, Colorado, explored how AI in education both aligns with and challenges Jesuit principles of justice, community and integrity.
Serena Oduro '16
Spencer Wagner
What does Social Justice Week consist of?
Social Justice Week exercises the head, heart, hand, and voice of each member of the Jesuit High School community. Students will move from awareness to action, not only learning about matters of social justice, but also acquiring tools to be advocates for change in their communities. During the week, students will be able to participate in:
- Three days of presentations, workshops, and actions (students sign up through Canva)
- Community Celebration Assembly
- Mass highlighting the multilingual Jesuit community
More about Social Justice Week
Social Justice Week focuses on collective learning, relationship building, and avenues for advocacy. Each member in our community will partake in workshops, seminars, and creative expressions to learn more about topics of interest. Each year will have a theme, picked by students the year before. This week allows the Jesuit community to analyze and better understand the ways in which historically, economically, socially, and politically marginalized communities have experienced injustice. In the Ignatian tradition of forming people with and for others, Social Justice Week gives students the opportunity to not only learn about injustice but find ways in which their voices can bring forth change.
AI & Ethical Tech Use Presentation Topics Included:
- How to Create Human-Friendly, Sustainable Social Media Algorithms
- AI and Beauty Standards
- How to Fight Disinformation Online in Our Modern World
- What Does a Criminal Look Like? AI & The Police
- Using Digital Maps to Save Lives Across the Globe
- AI in College Admissions
- AI and Environmental Justice
- Ethical AI Scenarios
- Caught on Camera: Unraveling the Dangers of AI-Generated Videos
- AI in Healthcare: Revolutionizing Medicine and Clinical Diagnoses
- How AI Might Transform the Global Economy
- How to Use a Chatbot Ethically: AI, Authorship and Plagiarism
- Disinformation, Synthetic Media & the 2024 Presidential Election
Social Justice Week 2024
Social Justice Week 2023
Jesuit High School held its third annual Social Justice Week March 13-17, 2023. Students voted on the theme for Social Justice Week 2023: Climate Justice. Students moved from awareness to action, not only learning about matters of social justice, but also acquiring tools to be advocates for change in their communities.
Keynote speaker: Sophia Kianni
Sophia Kianni is an Iranian-American activist studying climate science and health policy at Stanford University. She is the founder and executive director of Climate Cardinals, an international nonprofit with 9,000 volunteers in 40-plus countries working to translate climate information into over 100 languages. She represents the U.S. as the youngest member on the inaugural United Nations Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
What does Social Justice Week consist of?
Social Justice Week exercises the head, heart, hand, and voice of each member of the Jesuit High School community. Students will move from awareness to action, not only learning about matters of social justice, but also acquiring tools to be advocates for change in their communities. During the week, students will be able to participate in:
- Three days of presentations, workshops, and actions (students sign up through Canva)
- Community Celebration Assembly
- Mass highlighting the multilingual Jesuit community
More about Social Justice Week
Social Justice Week focuses on collective learning, relationship building, and avenues for advocacy. Each member in our community will partake in workshops, seminars, and creative expressions to learn more about topics of interest. Each year will have a theme, picked by students the year before. The all-school summer reading will also reflect the theme from Social Justice Week. This week allows the Jesuit community to analyze and better understand the ways in which historically, economically, socially, and politically marginalized communities have experienced injustice. In the Ignatian tradition of forming people with and for others, Social Justice Week gives students the opportunity to not only learn about injustice but find ways in which their voices can bring forth change.
Climate Justice Presentation Topics Include:
- Sustainability in the Art and Design Industry
- Ocean Acidification: How Climate Change Affects Our Ocean Species
- Sustainable Fashion: What is it and what can we do?
- Urban Regenerative Farming & Food Sovereignty in Portland
- Interconnected: Ecological Justice as Social Justice
- The Grounding Effects of Nature for Mental Health
- Using Digital Maps to Save Lives Across the Globe
Social Justice Week 2022
Keynote speaker: Dr. Tommie Smith
Dr. Smith is a former Olympian and advocate for racial justice. He is best known for raising his clenched fist during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City as a symbol for Black power, liberation, and solidarity.
Jesuit Day of Community Action:
Our community participated in more than 60 workshops, seminars, and creative expressions. Presentation topics included Artificial Intelligence, Indigenous rights, and climate change. The last session of the day was dedicated to advocacy, where students engaged in nearly 1,500 actions for change, such as letter-writing campaigns, in one hour.
Jesuit Day of Community & Action Presentations:
- Advocating for Human Rights in the Philippines
- Women in Professionalism
- Confronting the Past to Build an Inclusive Future
- Live Green: Environmental Activism in our Daily Lives
- Why is Faith a Call to Action
- Reimagining Technology to Empower Vulnerable Communities
- Introduction to Youth Organization
Community Celebration Assembly:
More than 80 students participated in this joyous observance of the diversity that makes up the Jesuit High School community!
Social Justice Week 2021
Keynote speaker: Anthony Ray Hinton
Mr. Hinton spent 30 years on death row in the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Alabama for a crime he did not commit.
Bryan Stevenson - acclaimed public interest attorney, bestselling author of Just Mercy, and Equal Justice Initiative founder - represented Mr. Hinton and ultimately convinced the US Supreme Court to unanimously overturn Mr. Hinton's conviction. Today, Mr. Hinton is an Equal Justice Initiative Educator who advocates for abolition of the death penalty.
Human Dignity Presentations and Workshops
- A Generation Of Action : Making A Difference as a Young Adult
- Dehumanization of Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- Gentrification, Houselessness and the Affordable Housing Crisis
- God In All Places: How Jesuits encounter God all over the World
- Portrait of My Familia: Understanding Race and Identity Through My Family's Stories
- The Desi Project: Analyzing Misrepresentation in Mainstream Media
- Dreamers and Refugees: A Photojournalist Gives Voice to Undocumented Teens