Advocacy and the Promotion of Social Justice

To be just, it is not enough to refrain from injustice. One must go further and refuse to play its game, substituting love for self-interest as the driving force of society. - Pedro Arrupe SJ

Canadian Jesuits International, whose mission is to love and to serve by working with people struggling for social justice and dignity in the world, is bringing Fr. Jebamalai Stanislaus to speak at St. Mark's College on the topic of social justice and advocacy. Read about his work in India to defend human rights and create space for social change.

Date and Time: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 - 7:00-8:30

Location: St. Mark's College at UBC - 5935 Iona Drive, Vancouver

Cost: Free

Fr. Jebamalai Stanislaus, SJ, also known as "Stanny", is a lawyer, human rights advocate and Ashoka Fellow JESA, Indian Social Institute.

Born to landed Catholic farmers in a remote village in Tamil Nadu, Stanny grew up in a culture steeped in the traditions and conflicts of caste and race. He sensed the injustice, but wasn't sure how to intervene until he was close to finishing school. He left home to become a priest after hearing an inspiring lecture by Jesuit fathers who were working with tribals in Gujarat. Wanting to benefit more than one church congregation, and Christians and non-Christians alike, Stanny decided to study law.

In 1987, he joined a legal aid center run by the Jesuits. Deeply impressed by the struggle of tribal peoples displaced by government projects, Stanny found himself at odds with the system and its representatives–corrupt judges and apathetic lawyers. Returning to school to earn a Master's degree in law, Stanny found a new sense of purpose. He emerged from graduate school determined to serve tribal people who were denied the justice promised to them by law.

In 1991, Stanny arrived in Surat to work with a legal aid center. Finding the staff far removed from the realities of tribal people, Stanny made it mandatory for them to spend at least three days in the villages to get to know their clients. Three years later, he realized he had to do more than improve one legal aid center and started training tribal lawyers and paralegals to bring lasting change to India's justice system. Biography from Ashoka

Contact

For more information, please contact Yujin Han.
E: [email protected]
T: 604-822-6862 Ext. 161

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