Empowering a Message

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, but the late senator and activist’s message of social justice will live on at Catholic higher ed institutions. Sacred Heart University (Conn.) hosted a two-day conference, June 10-11, focusing on the relations between Catholic social justice principles and international human rights advocacy. Institutions from the United States, Mexico, and Canada participated.
“This is a very significant event for Catholic education in the United States,” said SHU President Anthony Cernera. Cernera is also president of the International Federation of Catholic Universities, which was a co-sponsor of the event.
Not only a conference host, SHU became the first Catholic university in the nation to present the play, "Speak Truth to Power: Voices from Beyond the Dark," a program through The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial.
"Speak Truth to Power" reflects on the stories of human rights activists around the world and their struggles against threats and torture. The stories are from interviews conducted by Kerry Kennedy, RFK’s daughter and the play’s co-founder. “We immediately saw a connection with what [Cernera] is doing on this campus by giving students a tool kit for action so they can not only have the knowledge but the capacity to create change,” said Kennedy in a press statement.
It is hoped that the performance and its message will be added to the curriculum at other schools.
The cast included actors from Broadway and television, among them, Martin Sheen and Gloria Reuben. Ethel Kennedy, widow of Senator Kennedy, was among the attendees. An accompanying photo exhibit was displayed in Sacred Heart's art gallery.