“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it”

Comment on Visit to Spelman

 

The quotation by Marian Wright Edelman, the founder and president of the Childrens Defense Fund, is to be found on one of the halls at Spelman College in Atlanta. Emphasizing the immense impact of education, not only on the individual but on communal life, this sign caught my attention.

As we toured through some of the more than 20 buildings of Spelman College campus, my fascination for this college’s spirit grew more and more. Paying attention to the Students wellness, both physical and mental, Spelman College replenished my understanding of US-American colleges. The quotations from powerful and successful women who gained appreciation from civil society for their economical, ethical, political, social or spiritual engagement over the decades seem to be echoing from the walls, attempting to encourage the current female Spelman students to speak out their mind and to work hard to succeed. Biblical sayings emphasize the beliefs in God and the strength of religion. They seem to remind the female students of their value and their important work in means of encouragement and empowerment.

The presentation of Spelman College’s successes in sustainability and the subsequent discussion with Spelman students brought up another aspect of climate change: The intersection between social justice and climate change, which is called climate justice. Climate justice is a term used to describe the ethical aspect of the consequences of global warming, taking equality, human and collective rights into consideration.

I was really impressed by the tour given by Art Frazier, the director of Facilities Management at Spelman College in three ways: Firstly, Spelman college is extremly engaged in sustainable initiatives, leading them to accomplish decreases in energy and water consumption. Secondly, I was delighted by the Spelman spirit being spread by all the motivational sayings and I wish my own university would adapt some of these habits being shown at Spelman. And thirdly, the educational approach that Spelman College has taken in terms of sustainability. From my point of view, education is that guiding principle that we have to focus on, when it comes to making human-beings more sensible for and to integrate sustainable issues into their repertory of behavioral patterns, I do see a huge potential in educating people because as Marian Wright Edelman said, Education is the key to finally leave the “world better than you found it”. #KJ