On 14 November, the first edition of Social Justice Day was held, an event promoted by IQS and ESADE that seeks to give visibility to the contributions of Jesuit universities in their commitment to social justice. The event included reflection and analysis activities to delve deeper into issues such as sustainability, community engagement, and equity, with the purpose of promoting the transformative role of academic institutions in society.
The event began at IQS, where research and academic staff presented projects that exemplify university social commitment. Nuria Agulló, head of Service-Learning at IQS, and other experts in projects aimed at social and environmental impact, such as Irene Romero Alfano, who presented an analysis of pharmaceutical products in the Lempa reservoir in El Salvador, and Santiago Murillo Amador, with a scientific focus on coffee fermentation in support of small producers in Guatemala, stood out for their contributions to the event. In addition, Jaume Maranges and Rita Mota from ESADE participated in the presentation “Community engagement & engaged research: a community-based approach.”
During the afternoon, attendees participated in the cineforum and the screening of the film Patrullaje, a work that portrays the crisis of tropical forests in Central America and the struggle of indigenous and Afro-descendant forest rangers in Nicaragua to preserve their land in the face of the expansion of the illegal meat industry. The screening took place at ESADE and was followed by a debate moderated by Rosa Nomen, professor at IQS, and Alfred Vernis, coordinator of ESADE Alumni Social Cineforum, who invited reflection on the ethical and social dilemmas of deforestation and its impact on local communities.Social Justice Day, which has been celebrated for the first time this year and is expected to continue in the future, is inspired by the values and memory of the Jesuit martyrs killed in El Salvador in 1989. This event seeks to recall the commitment of these figures to social justice and peace, as well as the responsibility of Jesuit universities to act as agents of change.
Historical background
On 16 November 1989, six Jesuits and two workers from the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (UCA) in El Salvador were brutally murdered within the context of the Salvadoran civil war. Ignacio Ellacuría, the rector of the UCA at the time, along with his colleagues, advocated for social justice and the peaceful resolution of the conflict, which generated hostility in the Salvadoran government, which considered them a threat due to their critical stance. These murders were internationally condemned and reinforced the global struggle for justice and peace in Latin America, a legacy that remains a reference for Jesuit institutions today.