EMU not involved enough

Despite the EMU focus on social action and justice issues, I am disturbed by the limited EMU engagement in the many problems of the Harrisonburg community. When I was young, I knew very few Mennonites and no Mennonite institutions. My pride in my Mennonite heritage was based on the belief that Mennonites were justice oriented. I was shocked, on my arrival at EMU, to discover the gravity of some of Harrisonburg’s issues and the limited EMU interaction in solving them. I have sat through what seems like hundreds of lectures about the misuse of labor in Latin America, but what of the misuse of labor in the Harrisonburg poultry factories?

I should, at this point, commend the few programs at EMU that foster community service. I believe that the freshmen are required, among other things, to do some community activities. Such institutional steps are important, but what of the larger student body? EMU continues to exist in a bubble of security. Perhaps this is the result of a historically seclusionist Mennonite personality; nonetheless it is disturbing.

I recently heard that Harrisonburg was one of the most diverse cities in the United States. I know from personal experience that the levels of domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism, and drug abuse are phenomenally high in the valley. I even heard a rumor that gang participation is rising in Harrisonburg. We live in Harrisonburg and are part of the community. By not addressing these serious issues, we become part of the problem. In general, there is a concentration of wealth in the Park View area that does not exist in other parts of Harrisonburg. Yet, very little is done to deal with the economic inequalities or remedy the other problems that exist in Harrisonburg.

I have often heard professors and students at EMU talk about the need to establish sustainable economic systems, encourage education, support equitable labor policies, and so on. Generally, the conversation is about the global or national need for the aforementioned. These problems certainly exist at the global level, but they are local issues as well. Buying chicken at Food Lion supports the poultry industries here in Harrisonburg. Some of the industries barely pay their employees a sustainable income and definitely overwork their labor. How many of the stores and shops that EMU students visit are owned by members of the Latino community in Harrisonburg? If there is a rising number of Latinos in Harrisonburg, why are they not adequately represented in the growing upper class of Harrisonburg?

I am proud to be part of an institution that struggles with issues of justice and equality. I am ashamed, however, to recognize that this institution and its participants have done little to rectify the problems in our community. This is a call to be aware of what you buy, who you buy it from, and how your money contributes to economic inequality in Harrisonburg. This is also a call to step outside the EMU bubble and to engage in the community in which we all live. If we are not part of the solution, then we become part of the problem.