In looking at what this program has meant to me, especially in terms of growth in and understanding of social justice in my community, I thought it to be imperitive that I include examples of social justice I partake in outside of the SJI program. Social justice is not just something we learn about, not can it be something that rests only in one community, one realm of life. To be important and a viable force, social justice efforts have to be present in all areas where people exist, and conversations about justice need to be had at all levels.

Below are some examples of work I have done over the past year that could pertain to this program, in that they look at issues of inequity, unequal access, and injustices, just as we have been doing in the SJI program all year round. 

Final Survival Hospitality Poster by Katey Lantto on Scribd

Through my anthropology capstone, my partner Keenan Plate and I conducted ethnographic research surrounding homeless access to resources in the city of Chicago. We were interested in this project because we both have relationships with people experiencing homelessness who have in the past talked about the hardships they face when trying to find or access resources, such as shelter, that are meant to be used by people in positions like their own. 

This is the poster that descsribes our research, methods, and findings. Through this research, we plan to put together a comprehensive asset map of resources specifically targeted at low-income people across the city of Chicago. This information stored in the asset map will be made accessible to the public via the ArcGIS website, and potentially a smartphone app. We also will be using our research as a way to sell the idea for a physical, pocket-sized booklet that would be made freely accessible at public buildings, shelters, and other service agencies for people without stable internet access to also have information about services they can use.

http://loyola.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=8d7babfd59654e2683a44eab35d599c7

Doubly American by Katey Lantto on Scribd

This spring I attended the Society for Applied Anthropology conference and had the high honor of presenting research on the DAPA program and the harms mixed-status families can face in a climate where parents are deportable. This research pulls from classes taken on the culture of Latin America, Mexico, and Migration. I also based the ethical premises on a paper written in my Bioethics and Feminism class that looked at reproductive issues through an ethical lense. My final paper in that class looked at the ethics of intercountry adoption, using Latin American examples to demonstrate ethical principles. 

No Hate No Fear by Katey Lantto on Scribd

As an extension of my position at Catholic Charities as well as a part of the US population informed about and interested in migration, I attended the airport rallies against the travel ban and other migration executive orders put forth by the Trump administration early this winter. My clients come from many of the countries banned, and all of our arrivals from these countries have been halted, meaning that people seeking refuge from threats inside their own country are now no longer able to come to the US to find this support and to resettle. 

After the rallies, a friend put me in contact with the Ignatian Solidarity Network who was writing a piece about rally participation from a faith perspective. I had the great honor of being published in this article, and even more gratitude to be able to participate in this public sign of protest in support of a community who has become such a large part of my life, due in part to the SJI program.