2022 Atlas Week Events

April 3-9

Encompass: Atlas Week 2022 Official Art Exhibition

Pius XII Memorial Library, Second Floor

In partnership with SLU's studio art program, Encompass is a student-led art exhibition that will run throughout Atlas Week and span the second floor of Pius XII Memorial Library. Come stroll through Pius at any time to experience pieces from a wide variety of mediums. The subjects of these works will encompass Atlas Week's key theme as well as any global issues or cultural backgrounds artists wish to portray.

At the discretion of the artists, some works will be for sale and/or be entered in a running contest in which audience members will vote for their favorite pieces throughout the week. When the panel occurs, the top three winning artists will be awarded certificates from the studio art program.

Don't miss out on an opportunity to view Atlas Week through the eyes of SLU's artists!

April 4-7

10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2-4 p.m.

Atlas Week Human Library

Pius XII Memorial Library, Second Floor

The purpose of the human library is to create space for "readers" and "books" to engage in dialogue and personal conversations that challenges stigma and stereotypes of various identities, lifestyles and experiences. Come hear the stories of SLU’s human books!

April 4-April 8

10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Atlas Passport Distribution Site

Busch Student Center North Lobby

Come pick up your copy of the Atlas passport which contains the schedule of events for the week. Participate in the Atlas Week Passport Challenge by collecting 10 stamps in your passport to win a prize.

Twenty-Second Annual Atlas Week Kick-Off Event

5-7 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

Join us in the official opening event of Atlas Week 2022! Come and eat food representative of cultures around the globe and enjoy live music and cultural dance performances. Have fun while playing world trivia and participating in raffle prizes. This event is free and open to everyone!

St. Louis Literary Award: Programs to Rock Your World

10-11 a.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Seminar Room 124A

The St. Louis Literary Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious programs of its kind in the country. The award was founded in 1967 by SLU President, Father Paul Reinert and the Saint Louis University Library Associates. The original purpose, and still true today, was to build a bridge between the regional and international community to the University by celebrating the work of a writer whose work exemplifies our mission statement: The St. Louis Literary Award recognizes a living writer with a substantial body of work that has enriched our literary heritage by deepening our insight into the human condition and by expanding the scope of our compassion.

For more than 50 years, this award program has featured some of the most important voices in literature from around the world like Canada’s Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje; England’s Zadie Smith; Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat; Israel’s David Grossman; Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe; Irish poet Seamus Heaney; and this year’s award recipient, Indian writer, Arundhati Roy. These are just a handful of some of the towering literary figures that have graced the campus of St. Louis University.

The St. Louis Literary Award programs celebrate literature and the arts on our campus and in the international community. Join us for this presentation about one of the crown jewels of culture in the St. Louis community!

What You Should Know about Venezuelan Health Care under Chávez: A Medical Anthropologist’s Perspective

12-1 p.m.

Schwitalla Hall M316, Lecture Hall Three (South Campus)

This event introduces students and medical professionals to a new approach to understand health care from a medical anthropology perspective. The topic will be the Venezuelan healthcare system under Hugo Chávez, who presided over a left-wing democratic system from 1999 to 2013.

Based on 15 months of in-depth ethnographic fieldwork in Caracas, Dr. Cooper recorded people's experiences of health care following the government's attempt to create a universal, community-based health system. She will speak about findings from her recent book, State of Health: Pleasure and Politics in Venezuela under Chávez. The talk will also touch on present-day health concerns in Venezuela with the current pandemic. More details and information about the work can be found here. Through the lens of a medical anthropologist, we hope to enrich our audience’s cultural competency, understanding of healthcare, and the factors at play in shaping a universal, community-based medical system.

Fulbright and Beyond: Fellowships for Teaching and Studying Abroad (virtual)

12-1 p.m.

Meeting ID: 843 325 6922, Zoom link: https://slu.zoom.us/j/8433256922;

Brooke Taylor, Ph.D., from the Office of Competitive Fellowships and Scholarships, will be discussing opportunities to apply for fully funded experiences teaching English or enrolling in graduate programs or language-immersive experiences overseas. She will talk about the Fulbright Student Program, administered by the U.S. State Department, as well as other prestigious opportunities to study critical languages, such as the Boren Awards and Critical Language Scholarship. She will also provide information on awards for graduate programs in the U.K., including the Rhodes Scholarship, Mitchell Scholarship, Gates-Cambridge Scholarship, and the Marshall Scholarship. Learn which opportunities could be a good fit for you, how to develop a strong application, how to ask for letters of recommendation, and what the timeline is for specific awards.

Can Democracy Survive?

12-1 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251A

The struggles and responses of national and international institutions and political structures to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light a number of new concerns regarding the sustainability and resilience of global democracy and has led to a resurgence of historical concerns about the protection of democratic values in times of crisis. Are the vulnerabilities we have seen enough to discount democratic governance as a reliable and achievable long-term global norm? If not, then what must we do to ensure the longevity of democracy in the face of growing tensions and uncertainties?

From bachelors to doctoral students, this panel brings together a number of voices from the political science department to answer the above questions. Over the course of their research each panelist has identified what they consider to be the greatest threats, or key protective factors, to the maintenance and promotion of global and local democratic institutions. Ranging from concerns of national economic development to ethnic/religious tensions to inequity and injustice, the research these students will be discussing has great practical and theoretical implications for our understanding of the nature and future of democracy.

Join in the conversation as the panelists each provide an overview of their research and their perspective on the prospective development of democracy, before engaging with each other and audience participants towards further refining and delineating a comprehensive understanding of what needs to be done, if anything can, to protect and improve democratic establishments.

Panelists include:

• Leeza Kabbendjian
• Chayce Kenny
• Jack Krone
• Rachel Lesinski
• Matthew Richards
• Lucie Wood

Reel Resistance: Culture Through the Disney Lens featuring Disney’s Luca

12-2 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

"Reel Resistance: Culture through the Disney lens" will explore four culturally conscious movies created by Disney's Pixar Animation Studios (Luca, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, and Princess and the Frog). Each of these movies required Disney and Pixar to research and dive deep into a real-world culture to be accurate in their portrayal. In celebration of this, we invite students, faculty, and staff to engage in cultural appreciation by attending the sing along and dressing as your favorite character! Each movie will be catered by a restaurant that represents the respective cultural group portrayed.

Excavating the Cultures and Conflicts of Three Faiths

3:10-4:45 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Seminar Room 124A

The students of Dr. Fleck's Art History course — ARTH 2350/3350 Excavating the Cultures of Three Faiths — have prepared a poster exhibition to examine in more depth a number of ancient and medieval objects and sites of Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultures. Students examine these as subjects of history as well as evidence of modern conflict related to religious, academic, military and political motivations. They have focused on objects and sites that are deemed an important part of "world heritage," defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as “our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration” (whc.unesco.org). The posters will be on display in the Center for Global Citizenship at SLU April 1-11, 2022. Students in the class will present their ideas in front of the posters on April 4 and 6 from 3:10-4:25 p.m.

Becoming Good Neighbors: Reimaging Il Monastero

4-5 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253 C/D

For decades, the Berea Presbyterian Church at 3050 Olive Street in St. Louis had served as a “good neighbor” to the residents of the Mill Creek Valley community. The neighborhood, now a largely forgotten footnote in St. Louis history, used to stretch from the eastern edge of SLU’s campus to Union Station at Jefferson Avenue. In the early-to-mid 1900s, Mill Creek Valley was home to 20,000 people, 95% who identified as African-American. The face of the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood, as well as the good works of Berea Presbyterian, radically changed in the 1950s when its residents were displaced and homes demolished as part of a large-scale urban renewal project undertaken by St. Louis civic and business leaders.

SLU now owns and operates the old Berea Church building as an event space called “Il Monastero,” a hollow shell of the rich faith community that used to worship there and serve the surrounding residents. Still, in recent years, during the coldest days of the winter, SLU students have begun to reclaim the “good neighbor” reputation of Berea Presbyterian Church by transforming the event space into a safe haven and low-barrier shelter for the unhoused people of midtown St. Louis. Both student-leaders and community members have begun to reimagine how Il Monastero/Berea Church may be used more effectively as a hub for outreach and service-learning activities that meet the needs of St. Louis’ most marginalized neighbors, the homeless and unhoused. This Atlas Week presentation will create a space for imagining and sharing ideas about utilizing Il Monastero in this new way, and we will ask discussion participants to help us answer “what does being a good neighbor at Il Monastero mean to you?”

Cooking with ASA

4-5:30 p.m.

Spring Hall Lounge

Africa is filled with so many different beautiful cultures! Something that is loved across not just the continent, but the world, is FOOD! Please join us as we take you on a journey across our different countries to learn how to make some staple African dishes, listen to Afrobeats, and enjoy delicious food!

The Filipinx Nurse: Empire of Care

5-6 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

Filipinos and Filipinas alike have long been a part of the health care system in America. The role most often upheld by us? The nurse. As an effect, the Filipinx community has faced a pandemic of COVID-19 and continues to do so in the midst of rising Asian discrimination. The Filipino Student Association presents, “The Filipinx Nurse: Empire of Care” Presented by Therese Cacayan, FSA’s cultural awareness chair, and Maria DelGiudice, FSA’s social justice chair.

Inspired by Catherine Ceniza Chit’s novel “Empire of Care,” in this presentation and round table discussion the speakers will be facilitating a conversation about the “complicated connections among nursing, American colonialism, and the racialization of Filipinos.” Additionally, they will further discuss the implications in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially with anti-Asian sentiments becoming more prevalent than ever.

Standing With the Vulnerable: Authentic Solidarity in the Age of Victim Mentality

5-6:30 p.m.

Cook Hall Anheuser-Busch Auditorium

Please join us for a speaking engagement featuring Jason Scott Jones, founder and president of The Vulnerable People Project, a Catholic non-profit humanitarian aid organization that is currently working to rescue, resettle, and feed the women, children and men of Afghanistan.

Jason is accompanied by Prince Wafa, who was rescued by The Vulnerable People Project after being abandoned in the aftermath of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan. In the months since his rescue, Price has partnered with Jason to bring hundreds of Afghan women, children, and men to safety, and has delivered food to thousands throughout the dark Afghan winter.

The mission of The Vulnerable People Project is to stand with the most vulnerable people in the world when it’s dangerous, and nobody else is willing to do so.

Read More About Jones and The Vulnerable People Project

Polyglot Cafè: ATLAS Edition

5-6 p.m.

Language Resource Center, Morrissey Hall 3200

The Polyglot Café welcomes all language learners, regardless of their level or language, to come meet up and practice at the Language Resource Center (LRC) in Morrissey Hall 3200. Join SLU's language faculty, international students, and other language enthusiasts for a round of multilingual games and informal partner chats. The LRC's Polyglot Café provides a great atmosphere where language learning and cultural exchanges are heartily promoted and encouraged. Inquiries can be sent to llc@slu.edu .

International Studies Capstone: Global Health

6-7 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251B

Global health issues are a concern to nation-states, public health officials all over the world, and members of the medical profession. The purpose of International Studies Capstone: Global Health, is to offer students economic, political, social, and analytical insights into understanding global health issues. It examines how power relations and values help determine choices made about how to confront health issues.

Humor Writing Workshop

10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Meeting ID: 920 8724 0251, Zoom Link: https://slu.zoom.us/j/92087240251

Learning to connect with others through humor is a powerful way to enhance your writing skills at all points in your life. In this workshop you'll explore how to harness your voice by finding humor in everything from pop culture to politics. Leaning on laughter and levity to talk about social justice, you will be able to expand the range of topics and stories you can tell and the connections you can make.

Your Facilitator: Jewels Smith

What You'll Need:

• Two hours to set aside on your calendar for each session!
• Your own laptop, headphones, and camera, to dial-in individually. Why? This is an interactive session. As we practice the exercises, you will be sharing with your peers and getting real-time feedback from the facilitator.

Is Taiwan Next?

11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Busch Student Center 254

"Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” This warning rings through Taiwanese social media. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, could Taiwan be a target for China? This event explores the geopolitical relationship between China and Taiwan by focusing on their shared history, geography, and other influences to determine the potential of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

#OccupySLU: Lesson Plan Swap and Resource Sharing

12-1 p.m.

Center for Social Action, Wuller Hall 204

Each October, Saint Louis University commemorates #OccupySLU as a way to raise awareness about racial injustices and tensions that plague the region and the world, as well as to promote healing and reconciliation. As Dr. Richard Marks, assistant vice president for the Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement (DICE) has said, “It is a reminder of how Saint Louis University is accountable to the mission and its stakeholders, especially those who are marginalized and underrepresented.” Upholding the University Mission is a responsibility that falls to all campus community members, making the week of activities and programs surrounding #OccupySLU is an opportunity for everyone to participate.

Join us for a brainstorming and lesson plan swap on topics that instructors can introduce to their students during the week of #OccupySLU. These might include historical insights about the MLK speech delivered at SLU in 1964 or the famous Heithaus Homily at College Church in 1944. Other ideas might be more contemporary and explore the impact of ongoing student involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement or the ways that SLU continues to work to uphold the Clock Tower Accords. Whatever is shared, all of your ideas will help launch a resource page on the DICE website for the entire campus community to use and learn from. Just as #OccupySLU provided a rich context for learning, engaging in difficult dialogue, and exchanging ideas. We hope this Atlas Week event continues to fan the flames of social change and justice on our campus and beyond.

Co-facilitators: Christopher Tinson, Department of African American Studies

Bryan Sokol, Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement

Amber Johnson, Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement

Reel Resistance: Culture Through the Disney Lens featuring Disney’s The Princess and the Frog

12:30-2 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

"Reel Resistance: Culture through the Disney lens" will explore 4 culturally conscious movies created by Disney's Pixar Animation Studios (Luca, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto and Princess and the Frog). Each of these movies required Disney and Pixar to research and dive deep into a real-world culture to be accurate in their portrayal. In celebration of this, we invite students, faculty, and staff to engage in cultural appreciation by attending the sing along and dressing as your favorite character! Each movie will be catered by a restaurant that represents the respective cultural group portrayed.

Liminalism: Living Between Two Cultures

1-2 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Seminar Room 124A

A presentation on living between two contrasting cultures within the United States.

Celebrating & Supporting International Student-Athletes through COVID

2-3 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 352/353

International students have been impacted particularly hard during COVID, be it due to immigration policy and higher education challenges, lockdowns and strict restrictions in countries of origin, technology challenges and access issues, mental health impact, etc.

International student-athletes (ISAs) have had an especially difficult time through COVID. ISAs from our greater region and several others from all over the world will share their life stories, sports and educational experiences, and show how their journey and American pursuits shaped their lives. These individuals hail from five continents and numerous countries, they all have an athletic talent in common, and they all followed different paths that led them to their US educational destinations combining academics and sports. Some have horror and war stories to share, some had pleasant and uplifting experiences, and they all used sports as the medium to make a difference and pursue opportunities that they otherwise would not have been granted. Next to several other outcomes this profound, lively, and interactive session will yield, attendees may enjoy a truly universal overview of young people's concerns, hopes, trends in each country of origin, and realize that sports may indeed contribute to a more balanced, fair, and promising future.

The session will incorporate live video streaming with former ISAs from NCAA institutions who returned home and carried back several important lessons from the U.S.

Transracial Adoptees: Finding Community

3-4 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251A

This event will be a space for people who were adopted, specifically transracial adoptees (those with parents whose race is different from their own) to connect and find a community, and any others wanting to learn more. I personally find it hard to find others with similar experiences and think we are spread out across campus, but when I do it is wonderful because of shared feelings. As a transracial adoptee, I also find it hard to relate to my Asian identity as I feel more "white" and am in between identities. A short presentation may be given to start off, but the event will mostly be a conversation for people to learn more about this community if they are not familiar and also be a space for adoptees to feel like a community.

Let’s Talk About Uyghurs

4-5 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253A

Thanks to increased media coverage, more people are becoming familiar with the unfortunate situation that Uyghurs people are in, while there are some still unaware of the existence of Uyghurs. Despite this awareness, the public's indifference towards the genocide that Uyghurs face is appalling. How can the rest of the world's population allow such a tragedy to continue for years? What we choose to do, say, buy, and care for as individuals when we hear about man-made disasters will decide the duration of the disaster. Uyghur genocide is continuing because most of the public, institutions, businesses, and countries chose not to do anything about it.

"The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people. But because of the silence of the good people." ― Napoleon.

Please don't be part of the silent majority; silence is compliance. Come hear about the Uyghur situation and share your ideas to help "be the change you want to see in the world" if you like to be part of a world that won't allow another genocide. "Never Again."

Language Clubs in Action

4-6 p.m.

Cook Hall Atrium

The Language Clubs at SLU promote integration of students and faculty members by participating and collaborating in activities aimed at achieving language proficiency and cultural understanding in an informal, stress-free environment. Through this event, the Language Clubs would like to promote their activities by displaying and exhibiting what they do, while sharing some common phrases in the eight languages taught at SLU.

Ubuntu and Community Building: Reflections on Learning During COVID (virtual)

5-6:30 p.m.

Meeting ID: 939 5264 2283, https://slu.zoom.us/j/93952642283?pwd=Tm5zd2tpYTRWME1uRGJyWCtSOFVXUT09

Students from the Qualitative Research course in the School of Education will employ collaborative autoethnography as they reflect upon their learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. What strategies have students employed to maintain or establish a sense of community while learning during the pandemic? Guided journaling will serve as the main method of gathering data, which will be analyzed using the constant comparative method of data analysis.

Starting Fresh: International Education Post COVID

5 p.m.-6 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253D

With a large population of international students in the SLU community, how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the process of coming to America to study? A presentation on the growing challenges of being an international student abroad in America will be given, followed by a panel discussion with several members of the International Community of SLU who have traveled here during the pandemic.

Fox Eyes, Anime, K-pop, and More: Is Being Asian Trendy Now?

5:30-6:30 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251B

Boba. Sushi. Squid Games. Fox Eyes. K-pop. Anime. Is being Asian trendy now? Join Asian members of the student body as they discuss how Asian culture has been commodified over the past few years in the face of rising hate crimes against Asian individuals and apathy towards the Stop Asian Hate movement. The event will include a short presentation introducing the topic, then the panel members will answer both pre-planned questions and questions from the audience. It will also feature the perspective of Asian people who are often left out of these conversations, particularly those from South and Southeast Asia. Hear panel members talk about their experiences and learn how there's a fine line between appropriation and appreciation, and so often, it is crossed.

A Place at the Table: Film, Food and Discussion

6-7:30 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

Campus Kitchen is hosting a screening of the film A Place at the Table. This documentary explores the experiences of three individuals struggling to find adequate nutrition in the U.S. A discussion will follow the screening, and free snacks will be provided!

Shadows of Conflict

7-8 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251 A/B

This event will be set up during atlas week, and will focus on the complex enigma behind the politics that fuel the ever present wars in the middle east. Oftentimes in school, especially among students, the topic of Middle Eastern politics is avoided or silenced due to intensity and tension. This event serves to let everyone get the chance to speak up, ask questions and learn about the state of the Middle East from the views of student speakers. Food will be included.

From Refugee to United States Citizen featuring Caritas Habimana

7-8 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253

My name is Caritas Habimana, and this is my story of the survival of the genocide of Tutsis in 1994.

Spirituality During the COVID-19 Pandemic

11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253A

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many different burdens related to health, finances, and even living situations thereby perpetuating disparities across the world. These factors can lead to many stressors especially if the individual is being personally affected. Oftentimes, people can turn to different outlets to cope with that stress and try to manage their situations. Religion and spirituality can be that outlet if that allows them to feel more comfortable and hopeful. People also use these practices to give them strength or a routine to follow so as to deal with whatever disparity they may be experiencing. The goody bag and informational pamphlet portray different items and practices that individuals can use during difficult times either as blessings or spiritual paths. It is a great way to expose ourselves to things that various groups may use for themselves to expand our global perspective during such trying times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are Not Our Ancestors: African Youth Renaissance

11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 254

This event is an in-depth exploration of how youth in various regions in Africa have been amplifying their voices to combat injustices, building capacity for an equitable Africa, and utilizing cutting-edge technologies to drive prosperity in Africa.

Humanitarian Crises and Refugees

12-1 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

"The Political Science class'' ``Blood and Money: Ethnic War"" will conduct a panel discussion focusing on international humanitarian crises and the refugees they produce. In many conflict situations, communities of people are targeted because of their ethnic or personal qualities. They may be subject to brutal attacks on civilians, ethnic cleansing, rape used as a weapon of war, torture, and other atrocities. In such situations, it is often unsafe for people to remain in their home countries, yet people in the countries where they seek refuge may be hostile to outsiders for a variety of reasons. The panel will address the Bosnian War and attendant refugee crisis along with other crises past and present.

Participants include Nazar Gafurova, Chris Garcia, Katie Gundersen, Chris Hays, Elizabeth Killion, Sean Patterson, and Kaia Prichett."

Descendants of the Saint Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE) Presents “Who Are the DSLUE?” and “Racial Reckoning Post COVID-19”

1-2 p.m.

Meeting ID: 936 8378 6529

Zoom link

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a global reckoning on racial justice took place following the murder of George Floyd. Foundations and grant makers prioritized issues around anti-black racism and reparations. The global community is looking at human rights violations within the United States with fresh eyes. DSLUE descendant Imani Proudie is discussing reconciliation to reparations at Saint Louis University in a dynamic conversation with Linda Mann and Billi Wilkerson from African American Redress Network moderated by Nicka Sewell-Smith.

International Refugee Care (Virtual)

1-2 p.m.

Meeting ID: 851 7126 1511, Passcode: INMED

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85171261511?pwd=NVJ3aVJsYkVQeCtRelFZWHdWQXNVQT09

International refugee care remains a pressing global issue. Today’s world has more refugees seeking asylum than at any time since the end of WWII. Eighty-six percent of refugees are hosted in developing countries, severely straining existing social infrastructures. This presentation will introduce the principles of international refugee care, including the four recognized phases: Pre-Emergency/Mitigation Phase, Emergency Phase, Post-Emergency/Maintenance Phase, and Repatriation Phase. Throughout these phases, refugee leaders must attend to concern over security, location of settlements, mental stress, dependency, and host-guest relations.

Taste of Latin America

1:30-4:30 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

Taste of Latin America 2022 is co-sponsored by the Office of International Services' (OIS) and the Boeing Institute of International Business. Culture is an important part of one's identity. It marks different traditions, heritages, and history of a region. The focus of Taste of Latin America is to cultivate an understanding of cultures throughout Latin America. At this event, students, faculty, and staff will come together to showcase different cultures around Latin America through food, presentations, and more!

India's Take on COVID-19

2-3 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251B

When COVID-19 became a widespread, alarming issue, India was quick to respond. They quickly locked the country down and strictly enforced it. This meant that families were stuck inside their homes, and one of the busiest countries in the world suddenly became one of the quietest. Although people were stuck in their homes, it did not stop them from connecting with India’s rich culture. At home, families passed time by playing board games such as Ludo and Snakes & Ladders. Many people also showed off their creative side by making henna designs and posting it on social media. Additionally, people enjoyed various foods that are commonly enjoyed in the region they are from.

Although most Indian families were able to adapt to and overcome the unprecedented situation the pandemic put us in, there was also a great deal of hardship that many Indians faced. The goal of this event is to bring light to how India dealt with the global pandemic as well as raise awareness of some of the issues it caused. There will be an informational presentation led by members from Indian Student Association in addition to some traditional Indian games and henna to showcase how India’s rich culture continued through the pandemic.

Care for Our Common Home: Participating in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform

2-3 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253A

"Care for Our Common Home: Participating in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform”

Facilitators: Benjamin de Foy, Ph.D., Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Melissa A. Apprill, Assistant Director, Center for Social Action

Saint Louis University has recently signed on to The Laudato Si’ Action Platform, an initiative inspired by Pope Francis’s 2015 ecological encyclical “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.” In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis urges all of us to combat the pervasive “throwaway” culture and mindset that turns both people and products into readily expendable commodities. Mapped onto this document, the platform is a seven-year action plan created to help institutions and individuals discern how best to respond to issues of sustainability and climate justice.

In this session of Atlas Week, we will present and discuss the platform’s seven key areas ranging from addressing societal and climate issues to adopting a sustainable lifestyle. We will explore how the platform will be a guiding force in Saint Louis University’s sustainability initiatives, focus on practical things that we are already doing on campus, and facilitate discussion on ways in which students and others in our university community can get involved in this highly collaborative process to create goals and programs. We aim to create dialogue on campus around the issue of climate justice that will ultimately help us discern new ways that we can answer the environmental call of Laudato Si’. The Laudato Si’ Action Platform should allow SLU to be more strategic about its sustainability and climate action initiatives, and better align such efforts across the University.

Warrior’s Epistemology: Building an Accessible Future by Responding to The Failures of Sickle Cell Care

3-4 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251A

Riisa Rawlins-Easley (RHC chief operation and strategy officer), Alexis Gordon, Dr. Fred Rotnik and Rictoria Jones are the speakers at this round table. Privileging the experiences of Sickle Cell Warriors and their resistance strategies to systemic failures to address their needs can be instrumental in understanding the socio-political, cultural, psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has given able-bodied people a glimpse into the life of the disabled, whether you had the illness or not. The intersectionality of issues that turned COVID-19 from public health to political is nothing new for the disability community. It is imperative that we implore these experiences so we can avoid them when thinking about systemic revitalization.

Excavating the Cultures and Conflicts of Three Faiths

3:10-4:45 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Seminar Room 124A

The students of Dr. Fleck's Art History course — ARTH 2350/3350 Excavating the Cultures of Three Faiths — have prepared a poster exhibition as a way to examine in more depth a number of ancient and medieval objects and sites of Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultures. Students examine these as subjects of past history as well as evidence of modern conflict related to religious, academic, military and political motivations. They have focused on objects and sites that are deemed an important part of ‘world heritage’, defined by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) as “our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration” (whc.unesco.org). The posters will be on display in the Center for Global Citizenship at SLU from 1 to 11 April 2022. Students in the class will present their ideas in front of the posters April 4-6 from 3:10-4:25 p.m.

Vaccinations: How History Creates Hesitancy

4-5 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253 A/B

Explore vaccine hesitancy past the politicization and misinformation. Join us for a review of vaccine history, focusing on the unethical practices that have led to medical mistrust, followed by a Q&A with a community health expert.

Reflection on the Stop Asian Hate Movement

4-5 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251B

In this event hosted by the Asian American Association, everyone is welcome to join the roundtable discussion and reflection on the Stop Asian Hate movement. This reflection involves looking at the Asian American movement past, present, and future as well as consider the effectiveness of Stop Asian Hate and its impact. The discussion will be led by speakers from the Asian American Association and Dr. Filippo Marsili, associate professor of history at Saint Louis University.

The Hunger Pandemic

5-6 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253 C/D

How has COVID-19 exacerbated the hunger pandemic? To better understand this global pattern, a group of panelists will share their perspectives of the fight for food justice in St. Louis. Rachel Kleinman, RD, will represent STL Food Outreach. Kobi Gillespie, Director of Volunteer Services, and Teresa Schryver, advocacy manager, will represent St. Louis Area Foodbank. Melissa Apprill will represent Campus Kitchen at Saint Louis University.

Transfuturism: Building Trans Futures

5-7 p.m.

Saint Louis University Museum of Art

Join The Justice Fleet and Dr. Amber Johnson for a radical imagination pop up as we build trans futures that are liberatory and affirming. Using toys, craft supplies, and other elements, students, faculty, and staff can build a more inclusive and welcoming SLU for our gender expensive students, faculty and staff. Our hope is to take the ideas we generate through this pop-up and inform DICE’s strategic plan.

Reel Resistance: Culture Through the Disney Lens featuring Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon

5:30-8 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

"Reel Resistance: Culture through the Disney lens" will explore four culturally conscious movies created by Disney's Pixar Animation Studio (Luca, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, and Princess and the Frog). Each of these movies required Disney and Pixar to research and dive deep into a real-world culture to be accurate in their portrayal. In celebration of this, we invite students, faculty, and staff to engage in cultural appreciation by attending the sing along and dressing as your favorite character! Each movie will be catered by a restaurant that represents the respective cultural group portrayed.

Game Night and Discussion: COVID’s Effect on Vietnamese Americans

6-7:30 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Seminar Room 124A

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact across the world. Vietnam has taken strict protective measures in the form of nationwide lockdowns and travel restrictions to protect the high-risk population. The Vietnamese Student Association will be hosting a game night, featuring traditional Vietnamese games, along with an open discussion of how Vietnamese Americans have personally been affected by these new policies. Join to share in an important social aspect of Vietnamese culture and learn more about how COVID-19 has impacted students at SLU.

Across Pandemics: How the US Government Failed Vulnerable Communities During AIDS and COVID

11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251A

One of the most long-lasting legacies of the American AIDS crisis are the legacies it wiped out altogether: the lives of those who belonged to queer communities, communities of color, and especially both. Although HIV/AIDS was practically a death sentence during the height of the 1980s epidemic, the neglect shown to these communities is well-known to have exacerbated these losses. Decades later, we are faced with another deadly pandemic in which the US government has once again neglected its most vulnerable communities—those of color, and those who are disabled. What has caused these patterns of neglect to endure, and what other similarities connect these two pandemics?

Listen to Birch Fabregas, a student at SLU, present on the connection between the American AIDS epidemic and COVID-19 in the US, particularly as it pertains to ableism, racism and homophobia.

Post-Covid Global Health (virtual)

12-1 p.m.

Meeting ID: 851 7126 1511 Passcode: INMED

The COVID-19 pandemic decimated populations through acute illness and also undercut the structures of society necessary to maintain health and human wellbeing. In the aftermath of the pandemic, health leaders must undertake broad approaches to both improve disease detection and treatment, and also improve basic education and economic growth. This presentation challenges participants to apply these broad concepts, and supplies examples for Angola of effective pandemic relief coupled with community development.

ISO Roundtable Discussion: The Impact of COVID-19 on International Students

12-1 p.m.

Learning Resource Center 113, South Campus

This event will be a chance for international medical students to share with others about their experience during COVID-19 and how it has affected them. In addition, there will be a chance for everyone to share how their home countries have been dealing with the pandemic and how that approach may differ from how it is being handled in the U.S. The goal of this event is to share the impact of COVID-19 on those in our community and to compare different approaches to the pandemic to better understand how to handle them in the future.

La Salud Es Para Todos: Exploring Health Disparities in the Caribbean

12:30-1:30 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

Oasis, serving the Latinx, Hispanic and Caribbean students at Saint Louis University, will be discussing COVID-19’s impact in the Caribbean. Our discussion will focus on how the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti and Puerto Rico has responded to the global pandemic. Social inequalities within the healthcare system of the Caribbean region impacts millions of people’s lives, but its effects have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Our event will highlight what these inequalities are – both before and after the pandemic – how individuals are affected, and what governments can do moving forward to ensure that the lives of millions within the region receive the care they need.

Oasis will utilize online research from experts to provide attendees with factual data, however we also seek to bring the personal into discussion by having family members of our executive board members provide first-hand accounts of what living through the pandemic in this region of the world is like. Moreover, we wish to emphasize the diversity within Latin America in general; we will bring in perspectives on intersectionality, as race and ethnicity play an important role in the marginalization of indigenous and Afro-descendant populations within the region. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, food is very important. After presenting, attendees will enjoy some food from the Caribbean region and will have time to discuss with the people around them to reflect upon what they’ve learned, alongside discussing the disparities that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed.

American foreign policy and Ukraine in 2022

12:40-2 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251A

One of the greatest challenges for the United States in the COVID-19 age is how to balance its foreign policy priorities. How should Washington navigate the complex geopolitical reality of Eastern Europe as it deals with competing interests in Russia and its NATO allies? How do you assess the effectiveness of American policy regarding Ukraine in 2022? Students in POLS2820 (American foreign policy) will tackle the hard task of assessing U.S. policy regarding Ukraine in 2022.

Painting through Asia’s Pandemic

2-3 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253A

This event is to bring awareness to the effects of a global shutdown due to COVID-19. There will be a presentation showcasing how countries in Asia, especially tourist countries, struggled when their borders were closed for months. It will also touch on how those in poverty survived these hard times as they have depended on the tourists for their income. Along with the presentation given by Michelle and Tran, there will be items (hats or fans) that will be given out to paint on while the presentation is being given.

Bosnia: History and Experiences Among Second-Generation Refugee Youth in STL

3-4 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251A

Bosnia: History and Experiences Among Second-Generation Refugee Youth in STL, sponsored by Bosnia and Herzegovina Student Association, will bring together a mix of Bosnian history/culture and the findings of perceptions and experiences of second-generation refugee youth. Our guest speaker, Dr. Florian Sichling, a professor at UMSL’s School of Social Work, will present the findings based on his and Dr. Ajlina Karamehic-Muratovic's research pertaining Bosnian youth in St. Louis. More on some of Dr. Sichling and Dr. KM's research findings can be found here.

U.S. Midterm Elections and Their Global Impact

3-4 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253D

Riya Shah and faculty sponsor Leah Sweetman, Ph.D., are going to host an event that revolves around educating SLU students about the importance of the upcoming Midterm elections and how that could impact us globally. They plan on having a slideshow presentation/discussion beforehand that just enlightens the audience on the Midterm elections. They also plan on having speakers discuss how elections have affected them and their families globally. This may include students and staff from SLU's Office of International Studies. Guest speakers may also include a speaker from SLU's political science and/or American studies department. They will then include an interactive component with the audience members by asking them questions about their experiences with the elections and their thoughts and ideas on how to best get the campus active in voter engagement.

Native Americans’ Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact, Influence, and Cultural-Linguistic Relevance

4-5 p.m.

McGannon Hall, Room 260

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a historically specific set of health disparities encountered by Native Americans. Scholars of traditional inequities in disease vulnerability recognize that COVID-19 represents the latest in a series of contagious maladies— notably measles, smallpox, and whooping cough— to which Native American communities and First Nations of Canada have been disproportionately exposed because of the oppressive policies and practices of colonialism. The false narrative of inadequate biological immunity among indigenous peoples is an unsatisfactory explanation of their heightened susceptibility to transmissible sicknesses. Instead, it is a dodge designed to shift attention away from the ongoing structural and societal injustices faced by indigenous communities since the advent of colonialism.

Long-established factors such as poverty, isolation, and severely restricted access to basic health services have conspired to perpetuate increased risk for COVID-19 infection and fatality among indigenous communities in North America. The most defenseless have been elders, whose crucial roles as repositories and progenitors of linguistic and cultural knowledge are treasured and irreplaceable. Centuries of punitive and prohibitive measures against communication in indigenous languages have resulted in their endangerment or extinction. The merciless brutality of these measures was revealed during the second year of the pandemic (2021), when unmarked graves of children of First Nations were discovered at former boarding schools across Canada. Similar boarding schools operated in the United States, with the comparable aim of forced assimilation to colonial cultures. Native tongues were principal targets of suppression, as indigenous children were physically disciplined for speaking languages other than English or French. The souls of unidentified buried indigenous children call out to us, to remind us of the sins perpetrated against them that are the root causes of contemporary injustices experienced by their survivors.

These injustices affecting their languages, cultures, health, and socio-politico-economic power were inexorably exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. To illustrate how past offenses have entailed current inequities, in Sioux communities of the Northern Great Plains, languages such as Dakota and Lakota are primarily spoken by members whose average age is 70 years old. When many of these elders succumbed to the ravages of COVID-19, Sioux communities—and the world-- lost key representatives of Sioux languages and culture.

The communal responses of Native Americans and First Nations have been swift, staunch, and stalwart against the COVID-19 viral variants. Throughout North America, these communities have mobilized their members across generations to both take and demand action at local, state, and federal levels, to achieve these objectives:

1. Increase their protection against COVID-19
2. Eenhance awareness about historical and current health disparities affecting them
3. Serve as role models for other Americans and Canadians through community-led vaccination campaigns. Their rapid and elevated vaccination rates indicate that their historically, culturally, and linguistically informed approaches have been remarkably effective.

Please join our ATLAS Week event to celebrate and emulate indigenous peoples’ unparalleled progress towards linguistic and health equity!

Educating, Respecting, and Hearing Girls in a Pandemic

4-5 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

This presentation by She's the First SLU will share how girls' education around the globe has been affected by COVID-19 and will spotlight girls who have made inspiring and lasting impacts in their communities during the pandemic.

22nd Annual Atlas Week Signature Symposium Featuring Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

5:30-7 p.m.

Wool Ballrooms, Busch Student Center

The Atlas Week Signature Symposium is a keynote address presented by internationally renowned speakers who have dedicated their lives to issues of political and social justice. The Signature Symposium speaker for Atlas Week 2022 is Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, a diplomat and former UN High Commissioner. Seating is limited therefore registration is required for in-person attendance. Attendees may register for in-person attendance at https://forms.gle/oMQirupfVUoyggA78. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test is required to attend the Signature Symposium.

The Signature Symposium will also be live streamed through Zoom. To register for the live stream, please visit https://slu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtc-utrDIpGtUKYFot9AudvfLjk8rLftXi.

2022 Atlas World Cup Tournament

10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Vandeventer Field

Join us in the first ever Atlas World Cup! Watch as teams compete in this soccer tournament for the Atlas World Cup championship.

Faith and Covid Discussion

12-1 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 251A

Through the long, difficult Covid pandemic people have had personal struggles with faith and where they stand. This discussion explores these changes in faith and how the pandemic affected it. Guest speaker Campus Minister Christy Hicks will speak at this discussion using her personal insights of faith as well. We will follow the discussion with a fun trivia night of different nights.

Fratelli Tutti: Pope Francis and the Post-Covid World

2-3 p.m.

Busch Student Center, Room 253 A/B

This event is a presentation overviewing the ideas of Fratelli Tutti.

Encompass: Atlas Week 2022’s Official Art Exhibition Artist Panel Discussion

4-5 p.m.

Pius XII Memorial Library, Second Floor

Panel presentation from the artists of the Encompass Art Exhibition.

AFROPALOOZA

4-6 p.m.

Center for Global Citizenship Auditorium

Afropalooza is a formal gala and showcase that helps bring awareness to an issue within the African community. This year, we want to change the direction of the showcase so that it not only showcases the plethora of African talents and goods, but also highlights many struggles happening in our African communities both in Africa and the U.S. During this event, we provide all SLU students with performances, authentic cultural food, dance, music, and knowledge.

Asian American Association’s Night Market

5-8 p.m.

West Pine Mall, near the Clock Tower

Experience the nightlife of Asia through different booths set up along West Pine Mall and the Clock Tower, each offering cultural games and activities for everyone to participate. Win tickets to trade at the food for Asian cuisine. Hosted by SLU’s Asian American Association.

Keep Calm, Two Meters Apart and Visit Cypress When You Can

12-1 p.m.

Ringenberg Lecture Hall (South Campus)

This is a presentation by Dr. Alexandros Maliotis, a first-year Orthodontic resident from Cyprus. Following the presentation is a potluck of cultural dishes.