SOCIAL JUSTICE — The Catalyst Project

Water Rising is a Big Problem

By: Celina Yang

The idea of water rising has been around for quite a long time, yet it seems like many fail to acknowledge the big consequences it holds.

The CatalystJuly 12, 2021water rising, climatechange, climate change, science, environment Comment

Catalyst Recruitment Letter

We would like to inform you about an opportunity to become a part of the Catalyst!

The CatalystJuly 12, 2021catalyst, Catalyst, social justice, #join, #joinusComment

Queerness in the Asian Community

By: Holly Ji

To be gay and a POC means you have to prove to your “queer siblings” that your identity is just as valid and just as queer. This invalidity is a product of white supremacy.

The CatalystJune 3, 2021lgbtq, queer, asian, asian american, poc, gayComment

Help Homeless CLE: Eat for Change Fundraiser

By: Help Homeless CLE Chapter

In the United States, there are about 554,000 homeless people on a given day, with 23,000 of them living in Cuyahoga County alone. A common misconception is that there are many shelters available to house the homeless during the night, but in Cleveland, there are actually only about 1,100 beds.

The CatalystMay 11, 2021homelessness, cleveland, fundraiser, fundraising, covid-19, pandemic, laura's homeComment

In this white suburban town... (Creative Writing Piece)

By: Ela Mody

In this white suburban town

My brown skin stands out

I know I don't belong

But regardless, I am here

The CatalystApril 28, 2021poem, creative writingComment

Day of Silence

By: Percy Okoben

The Day of Silence was started in the 1990s by two college students as a way to show solidarity with LGBT individuals who felt silenced by the greater non-LGBT community. It has grown to have thousands of participants nationwide every year. But this year was different. This year I paid attention; not only to my own silence, but the lack of silence from others. And I was disappointed.

The CatalystApril 27, 2021lgbtq, day of silence Comment

Sexist and Misogynistic Quotes I've Heard Too Often as a Woman

By: Hannah Yoo

“you’re good at *insert activity* for a girl”

… this is disgusting

The CatalystMarch 30, 2021sexism, girls, misogyny, misogynistic, women, woman, sexistComment

Sexist Dress Codes

By: Hannah Yoo

They act like / My shorts and tank tops / are illegal / They’d tell me to / Go cover up

The CatalystFebruary 24, 2021poetry, poem, sexism, dress codes, sexualization, reflectionComment

Your Asian Activism Should Not Become Anti-Blackness

By: Holly Ji

With recent hate crimes against Asian-Americans due to COVID-19 pushing forward more xenophobia and sinophobia, the Asian community not only faces the horrible truth of how we are perceived in America, bordering the line of model minority and disease-carrying aliens, but also the raging anti-Blackness in our community.

The CatalystFebruary 22, 2021covid, covid-19, xenophobia, sinophobia, asian american, african-american, racism, stereotypes, unity, poc, white supremacy, activismComment

Kindness Week is More Than Seven Days Long

By: Kaila Morris

A week may only be seven days, but if lived right, its legacy can stretch on much, much longer. Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) week, for example, is an initiative taking up a measly 7 of February’s 28 days, from Valentine’s Day to February 20th. It encourages Americans to do and document one act each day, creating a network of positivity and inspiration amidst a month of love, celebration, and heart-shaped chocolates.

The CatalystFebruary 21, 2021kindness, kindness week, nature of kindness, positivity, community, empowerComment

An Account of Asian American Hate Crimes in the Past Week

By: Serene Hwang

These are just a couple of the innumerable anti-Asian hate crimes that have occurred in the past few weeks, but the American government refuses to recognize the issue. How many more parents and grandparents must we lose before justice is served?

The CatalystFebruary 8, 2021asian american, asian, hate, hate crime, cover 19, violence, society, racismComment

Introverted as it is

By: Rosaline Dou

What’s the imagery or key words you think out of when you hear the word “quiet” or “introversion”? How do you define yourself as an introvert, extravert, or an ambivert?

The CatalystFebruary 1, 2021interview, introversion, extraversion, introvert, audio, reflection, identity, personalityComment

I’m Not In Love, So Don't Forget It.

By: Dakota Taufeeq

Love, I’ve never been in it, always out of it. Looking at it from a distance, from the safety of my mind. Love is a dangerous thing, it takes the people that touch it, feel it, crave it, and rips their heart out. Why would I want to be a part of that? Still, despite my pleas I can't help but witness those close to me fall in the name of love. We can't all run from the monster.

The CatalystFebruary 1, 2021love, logic, opinion, reflection, human conditionComment

There is Not One Action Done by Women That is Not Criticized

By: Caroline Jung

The CatalystJanuary 31, 2021women's rights, women, social justice, society, social media, social, beauty standardsComment

Education Matters

By: Sarah Son

The CatalystJanuary 29, 2021education, school, society, visual, quotesComment

Girl Boss

By: Holly Ji

You may have seen the term “girlboss” when discussing Kamala Harris now that she is in office as the first female, Asian, and Black vice president. Girlboss seems like a way to uplift and support successful women, especially those who excel in male-dominated fields like politics, but there’s a lot more underlying issues that often go ignored when celebrating girlbosses.

The CatalystJanuary 29, 2021girl boss, women, women's rights, female empowerment, harris, feminism Comment

Voices

By: Ellie Chang

“Do as we say.” / “It’s for your own good.” / What is? / We aren’t naive.

The CatalystJanuary 29, 2021voices, generational, future, society, youth, poem, poetryComment

Bringing Awareness to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study

By: Yewon Lee

The year is 1932. A young African American man is promised free yearly medical checkups, monetary burial compensation, and hot meals in exchange for his participation in a study by the Tuskegee Institute (today’s Tuskegee University). Having little money and illiterate, he is quick to register for the study unknowing of the details of what that would entail.

The CatalystJanuary 9, 2021african-american, social, experiment, unethical, ethics, diseaseComment

Performative Activism: What are Flooded Instagram Stories Really Accomplishing?

By: Meredith Stewart

Performative activism has presented itself as an increasingly prevalent issue over the course of this tumultuous year. This summer I found myself clicking through hundreds of reposts and scrolling past dozens of black squares without even making an effort to read, let alone, understand, the messages behind the posts. However, I don’t think I am the only one who chooses to ignore these Instagram floods.

The CatalystDecember 30, 2020performative activism, activism, social media, instagram, activist, black lives matter, blm, reflection, allyComment

Pronoun Paradox

By: Katie Harbaugh

If you’ve been on any form of social media lately, you’ve probably noticed that lots of people have added their pronouns to their bios. As a background, pronouns differ from person to person. Some individuals go by she/her, while others use he/him, or they/them, etc. For a long time, mainly nonbinary and transgender people put their pronouns in their bios, so people wouldn’t address them incorrectly. The problem with this is that consequently, transphobic people became more inclined to target those with pronouns in their bio.

The CatalystDecember 30, 2020pronouns, lgbtq, social media, respect, allyComment

Social Justice;

SCROLL to READ ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS

Eva’s capstone project, described by Eva;

My page is about understanding the social inequalities of shaker heights. Holistically, shaker heights succeeds national standards in

average income, health insurance, and poverty percentage. However, this affluence does not apply to all of our community. IN my

project I use public 202 cencus data to find this divide. I also investigate the history of shaker heights to understand why this has

happened.

Project brief video;

Why explore inequalities of Shaker Heights?

Learn more here; links worth a look!