Whirlwind Weekend

By Genevieve Buthod

We had such an uncharacteristically beautiful October Chicago weekend, and I hated to waste it by staying indoors. This past Saturday, some old SXU friends and I went apple-picking in an orchard, a fun and relaxing fall endeavor matched only by a sunny hike through one of Orland Park’s many nature reserves. I had no idea there were so many opportunities just outside of the city to experience nature, but it made me see that a nature-loving girl can still be happy being in a big city.

Sunday, I met my fellow girls from Saint Xavier’s Students for Justice in Palestine club at the stunning Columbus Park refectory (featured in one of the photos). As sponsored students, we were fortunate enough to attend the American Friends Service Committee’s “Creating Connections, Renewing Commitments” Middle East Program fundraiser. It was an event to honor awards recipients, including U of C’s Sami Kishawi, who I mentioned in a post last week, a dear friend and world-renowned activist/writer Anna Baltzer (in the photo), and the incredible Alice Walker. It was amazing to be in the presence of such spiritually-powerful people, activists who show us that we are all capable of making a change for the better in this world. As Anna said in her acceptance speech, “Hope is a responsibility. It is a luxury of the privileged to lose hope for change.” Inspiring words for all of us to take to heart, especially when cynicism from modern events sets in. We have no right to take our lives for granted. We are incredibly privileged to be in a position to receive a college education, and it is a waste of our wonderful gifts not to share our knowledge and our spirit with the world.

In her speech, Alice Walker mentioned something she noticed in the West Bank, students literally “ablaze with the desire to learn”. If we could take this passion, and apply it to our lives here, just imagine what we could accomplish. As Sami Kishawi said, it is our generation that will make change in this world. It is up to us! The world is our responsibility. The more deeply we understand this fact, the more intensely we will be moved to action--to push ourselves in the direction of what’s right. As Saint Xavier students, I believe we assume this responsibility in many ways, be they creating a club to de-stigmatize mental illness (seriously, can we get a round of applause for these amazing girls on campus?) or through connecting the Catholic faith to a history of social justice. Keep it up, folks. We have a long fight ahead of us.

Genevieve Buthod is a sophomore, and a double major in computer science and philosophy. She is a women’s studies minor, and thinking about a music minor as well. Genevieve is an officer in the Alliance (the GSA) and is a happy, healthy vegan. She is also involved with the Students for Justice in Palestine.