 |
| Francisco Lopez |
Chris Killmer once met a woman who had been enslaved as a laborer in
Portland for 12 years. She was beaten and subjected to sexual violence
by the affluent, foreign-born resident who coerced her into slavery.
Human trafficking for sex and labor is an ugly and real problem in Oregon, Killmer, a program manager with the nonprofit Immigration Counseling Service, told 75 Catholic school students attending Jesuit High School's first-ever Social Justice Summit on Sunday. And it's up to the students to get the word out. "The
primary way to get ahead on this thing is awareness," said Killmer,
whose group provides legal and social services to immigrant communities.
"Most people don't even know this is happening." The summit brought together students from the Portland area's six Catholic high schools to learn about human trafficking
and immigration issues, and to inspire them to do something about it,
said Scott Powers, director of Christian Services at Jesuit. Speakers
detailed the reality of slavery in the state: People are forced into
prostitution or, more commonly, farm, home or factory labor, and are
kept there through abuse and threats to their families. Students from the Portland-metro
areas six Catholic high schools listen to a presentation by Francisco Lopez of Causa Oregon, a Latino immigrant rights organization. Lopez
told students that as Catholics, it'€™s their mission to seek social
justice a mission for which he was tortured and exiled from his
native El Salvador.
Jesuit High students plan to meet with members of Oregon's Congressional delegation in February about human trafficking, and the summit was a rallying cry for other schools to do the same. "Service and advocacy -- those are the two feet of social action," Powers said. "And all Catholic schools teach that." The keynote speaker, Francisco Lopez with Causa Oregon, a Latino immigrant rights organization, told students that as Catholics, they "need to become the microphone of God."
7 comments:
Social justice begins in the womb.
I am waiting for a Jesuit institution to finally speak on the fires of Hell and eternal damnation that awaits the fallen.
Good grief people--what could be wrong with a speaker on this horrible crime?! Get a heart and then get a life.
Yet it's not a good idea to get carried away and make the blog about your family or outside interests. You have to find the right balance, and with practice you'll discover it. If you would think twice before saying something in a phone call or email to a customer, you should leave it out of your blog.
[url=http://jordanshoesaj.exteen.com/]jordans outlet[/url]
You can draw inspiration from others, but make sure you instill your blog with your own personality as well!
[url=http://louisvuittonhandbags8.my-style.in/]louis vuitton handbags[/url]
This "advocacy" emphasis is all the rage in _c_atholic high schools nowadays. They don't teach the faith very well, but they focus on advocating for leftist legislation and believe that's the mission of Catholic education.
They don't teach the faith very well?!
I thought helping the helpless was practicing the faith.
Too many people on this website are armchair theologians--and poor ones at that.
the "right " way got boys abused
Post a Comment