The Events listed below were associated with the 2022-2022 Common Text, The Master Plan. Events for the 2022-2023 academic year will be publicized beginning in August 2022.
Monday, October 4
Commitment to Justice Panel 2021: Mass Incarceration Justice
The U.S. leads the world in total number of incarcerated people. In 2020, almost 2.3 million adults and juveniles were imprisoned. Over the past forty years, incarceration rates in the U.S. have increased 500%, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color suffer disproportionately from racist structures perpetuating this trend. Biased judicial systems and economic structures that commodify Black and brown bodies through prison labor contribute to this injustice. Baltimore is no exception to this inequity. The city has an incarceration rate that is three times higher than the rest of Maryland. And high recidivism contributes to Baltimore’s cycle of poverty.
In response to prison injustice, Pope Francis stated, “It is easier and more comfortable to suppress than to educate, to deny the injustice present in society and to create these spaces for shutting off transgressors into oblivion than to offer equal opportunities for development to all citizens.” How can Loyola address unjust mass incarceration policies? And how can we as a Jesuit, Catholic university anchored in Baltimore, support community partners who are committed to this work? Come hear from people who have experienced prison injustice and discuss how we may contribute to positive change in Baltimore.
Sponsored by CCSJ, Campus Ministry, Disability Support Services, and Messina
A Common Text and theme-wide event
7 p.m., McGuire Hall
Monday, October 11
Messina presents Loyola at The Senator Theatre
Charm City -- Fighting Against Violence in Baltimore (2018)
A candid portrait of citizens, police, community advocates, and government officials on the frontlines during three years of unparalleled, escalating violence in Baltimore. The film highlights the positive actions undertaken by groups and individuals, who come together to rebuild, heal, and forge a better way forward. Official Selection at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Messina is sponsoring a shuttle from the Loyola Notre Dame Library to the Senator Theatre. The shuttle will run continuous loops from 5pm-7pm to drop off at the Senator Theatre. The bus will return after the film, running loops from 8:45pm-10pm to shuttle folks back to campus.
Tickets are free - reserve your ticket on The Bridge!
Sponsored by Messina
A Common Text and theme-wide event
7 p.m., The Senator Theatre
Asynchronous Event
Film Streaming: Just Mercy
A powerful and thought-provoking true story, “Just Mercy” follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan might have had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds and the system stacked against them.
To access the free film, please use the following link and your Loyola login information.
Access Just Mercy here!
Sponsored by Messina
A theme-wide event
Asynchronous Streaming
Previous Events & Event Recordings
Each year, the University chooses a Common Text for all first-year students to read before arriving at Loyola. In addition to discussing this Common Text with your academic advisor and other students enrolled in your Messina course during Welcome Weekend, Messina sponsors events throughout the year to address themes raised by the book.
Friday, September 3
Common Text Convocation
We welcome you, Loyola’s newest scholars-in-residence, to our intellectual community by examining a text common to all of us. During this session, members of our Loyola community will reflect on Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas.
Recording Available Here
If you are a member of the Loyola community who has an idea for an event associated with the Common Text, please visit our co-sponsorships page and submit an event proposal.
Persons with disabilities who may require special services should contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 410-617-2062 at least 48 hours prior to the event. As noted below, some of these events are free and open to the public.