inequality in america

My HECUA internship at the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation has helped me begin to loosen my restricted perception of who can and should organize, and where organizing is most effective. These experiences have exposed me to the endless opportunities where change can be implemented. Read More »

When people ask me what the Inequality in America program is, time and time again I fail to feel as though I have given a fulfilling answer. This is because we are learning so dang much. In February alone, we have learned everything from the benefits of asset-based mapping to the effect that poverty has on cortisol levels. Read More »

When I signed up for HECUA-Metro Urban Studies Term (now Inequality in America) in 2012, I was hoping to learn how to put my passion for equity in education into action. The notion of praxis HECUA taught me—the idea that I can put social justice values into action through my work—is something I now use daily as a curriculum consultant and writer, helping organizations design their English language arts, English as a Second Language, and social studies courses. Read More »

It was my learning in HECUA that showed me I do have a lot to gain from academic spaces – that is, if they are working to excavate truth, as opposed to reinforcing the colonial mindset that our world is saturated in. Read More »

What I love about HECUA’s Inequality in America program is not just the class material, the internship placement, or the incredible cognitive growth you go through, but the way in which the program director Phil Sandro makes time for students’ mental health. Read More »

“Having knowledge of systemic issues has helped me have more confidence as I advocate for families. I can see what they are working against and where they are coming from.” Read More »

In HECUA’s Inequality in America program we draw on Paul Loeb’s book Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times to dismantle the feelings of powerlessness that keep people from engaging in social movements. Loeb writes about the “false myth” that a person taking a political stand has to be a “larger-than-life figure—someone with more time, energy, courage, vision, or knowledge than any normal person could ever possess.” Read More »

What changed in the last forty years that allowed this drastic increase in inequality? Not having found the answers to these basic questions in my studies, I joined HECUA’s Inequality in America program. There I found potential answers, and still more questions. Read More »

HECUA programs offer students a chance to think deeply about the issues that matter most, and we’d like to share a piece of that experience with you. This semester, students in our Inequality in America, Art for Social Change, and Making Media, Making Change programs are writing a series of blog posts on a topic of […] Read More »

Admitting you have a problem is hard. Asking for help is harder. Figuring out where to find that help is even more challenging. When it comes to mental health, it comes as no surprise that university students experience intense levels of stress and subsequent mental health issues like depression and anxiety Read More »