Social Justice Commons^™

Qanon Affiliated Accounts Are Making 64% Fewer Social Media Posts About Human Trafficking, Bond Benton, Daniela Peterka-Benton

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

A joint social media study from Montclair State University faculty in the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the College of Communication and Media and the Global Center on Human Trafficking shows a 64% decrease in the total number of posts about human trafficking made by prominent QAnon affiliated and adjacent accounts when compared to the highpoint of such posts in 2023. Results from the study produced by the Center for Strategic Communication and the Global Center on Human Trafficking include a 64% decrease in human trafficking posts from significant QAnon affiliated accounts …

“Try, Start, Do It”: Phil Zimbardo And The Heroes’ Square Foundation, Györgyi Orosz

Heroism Science

This article pays tribute to the life and legacy of Philip Zimbardo, emphasizing his transformative influence in Hungary through education, social engagement, and the science of heroism. The journey began with a 2012 invitation that brought Zimbardo to Budapest, ultimately leading to the foundation of the Heroes’ Square (Hősök Tere) initiative. His message—that heroism is not reserved for the exceptional but is accessible and teachable—became the core of nationwide programs focused on mindset, intervention behavior, and social responsibility. Zimbardo’s influence went beyond academia; he inspired personal and institutional change. The foundation’s programs, such as teacher trainings, the Hero School, and …

When Culture Becomes Law: Mayan Heritage And The New Constitutional Recognition Of Collective Rights In Mexico, José Israel Herrera, Victor Manuel Colli Ek

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. The constitutional reform of September 30, 2024 to article 2 marks a substantive change in the recognition of indigenous peoples as subjects of public law, with their own patrimony, valid normative systems and express right to conserve, protect and develop their cultural, material and immaterial heritage. This article analyzes the legal implications of this reform in the context of the Maya people, especially with regard to collective intellectual property, the right to prior consultation and the constitutional recognition of bioculturality. A critical reading of the new normative framework is proposed, with emphasis on its transformative potential for the territorial …

Assessing The Lgbtq+ Beliefs, Behaviors, And Competency Of Nutrition Professionals: A Mixed-Methods Study, Anthony Dissen, Christina Riccardo, Liam Oliver Lair

Journal of Dietetic Education

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals often experience disproportionate levels of physical and mental health issues including nutrition-specific issues such as eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and food insecurity related to psychological distress from discrimination and stigmatization. This study sought to understand nutrition professionals’ LGBTQ+ competence, beliefs, and behaviors. Researchers distributed 2 data collection tools to registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs): the Gay Affirmative Practice Scale (GAP-Scale) and the LGBT Competency Assessment Tool (LGBT-CAT). Data from the GAP-Scale were numerically scored using a 5-point Likert scale, and data from LGBT-CAT were scored on a scale of 0 to 3 points. …

Everyday Life In The U.S.: An Intersectional Approach To A North Korean Refugee Woman’S Identities, And Experiences, Lyounghee Kim

Communication ETDs

This dissertation examines everyday experiences of a North Korean refugee woman in the U.S., centering her narratives as sites of critique, resistance, and meaning-making. Grounded in Critical Refugee Studies, Asian American Studies, and Critical Intercultural Communication and framed by intersectionality, it explores how interlocking structures of power shape and are shaped by her life. Rather than focusing solely on trauma or assimilation, this study highlights her digital storytelling, faith, and mutual aid practices as acts of survival, dignity, and moral agency. Using a qualitative, narrative inquiry approach grounded in critical reflexivity, it thematically analyzes her stories to reveal how she …

Honoring Queer Womxn Of Color’S Wisdom, Healing And Joy, Sydney M. Herring-Alderete, Miranda E. Gutierrez Acosta, Sarah M. Bryant, Michelle A. Pollok, Grace Schroeder, Kevlyn M. Holmes, Jessi H. Pham, Lauren Bulalacao, Suzanne Lopez, Moises Franco, Nat Betancourt Arellano, Lauryn Jarvis, Ana G. Reyes

The Qualitative Report

Too frequently, traditional research centers the wounded-subject position (Brown, 1995), which reduces minoritized individuals to their experiences of discrimination, perpetuating deficit-based narratives, oppression, and existing power dynamics. To counter traditional research frameworks and deficit-based narratives, we used photovoice methodology (Wang & Burris, 1997) to honor and celebrate the healing experiences of nine queer womxn of color (QWoC). The photovoice project explored the healing experiences of QWoC inside and outside counseling and lead to the curation of a photovoice exhibit to share their stories of resilience and power. This article outlines our approach to organizing a photovoice exhibit and our experiences …

Questioning In Contested Spaces And Cultural Currents In Popular Culture And Pedagogy: Book Bans, Music, Horror And Poetry, Anna Cohenmiller

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Questioning in contested spaces and cultural currents in popular culture and pedagogy: Book bans, music, horror and poetry

How do the texts we encounter affect, and reflect, the cultures in which we live? How about the educational spaces and the communities we inhabit? How might we engage with popular culture texts to better understand today, and create more inclusive futures?

Ngo Advocacy And Immigration Policy Reform In San Diego, Benicio Benavides-Garb

csuglobaljournal

The field of immigrant policy is a highly contested space, and among the primary actors involved in immigrant advocacy are non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Throughout California, NGOs are involved at the local, state, national, and international levels. In addition to introducing some of the directions being taken by NGOs in the San Diego area, this paper will examine the work of the San Diego City Council. The included NGOs were selected based on their intentional work in providing “systems-level” support, such as progressive immigration policy reform and advocacy. These organizations are the following: the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans …

Laying The Groundwork For Liberatory Expressive Arts Research: A Queer Review, Robyn E. Ginsberg

Expressive Therapies Theses

The goal of this thesis was to reveal the interconnectedness of disparate discourse across diverse disciplines and locate it within one queer domain. The intersection of (expressive) art and (community/participatory) action is a space within which queer collaboration can take place. It is a space that can accommodate and energize non-normative idea generation and exchange which can mobilize queer resistance to create societal change (Fernández & Fine, 2024; Rutten, 2016). By engaging with interdisciplinary literature and situating conceptual frameworks in dialogue this review provides a foundation for liberatory expressive arts research (LExAR) and practice. Key themes include: centering queer and …

Illuminating Trauma & Resilience In Educational Spaces: Expanding Narratives To Promote Historical And Critical Civic Empathy At Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Chakakuan Johnson, Linda Nance, Byron Witherspoon

Dissertations

Abstract

The 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School marked a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement and continues to symbolize the broader struggle for racial equality. This dissertation examines equity in educational spaces through a four-truth lens that was first articulated by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and explores forensic, personal, social, and healing truth. Using Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site (CHSC) and park interpretation as the focal point, our qualitative research study used reflexive thematic analysis to examine oral interviews, onsite observations, and various documents and artifacts, and to illuminate …

Community Health Workers: Key To Decreasing Food Insecurity In Pregnant Individuals, Linda Waggener Dnp

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Objectives: Food insecurity (FI) in pregnant individuals (PI)s is a global threat to birthing individuals and fetuses with potential immediate and intergenerational impacts on family and community. Community Health Workers (CHWs) facilitate support including food resources for FIPIs. The Family Fresh Rx (FFRx) program, within Food as Medicine (FaM) model provides fresh fruits and vegetables, optimize nutrition, and mitigates threats to health. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Quality Improvement (QI) project’s two objectives were CHWs’ FFRx program and referral process satisfaction evaluation through a pre, post, and four-week post refresher presentation (RP) modified System Usability Scale (mSUS) …

“There Is Just A Sense Of Joy In This Work”: Drivers Of Faculty Engagement With Community, David C. Ensminger, Mitchell A. Hendrickson, Jon J. Schmidt

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

American universities have been engaged with their communities as long as there have been universities in America. The nature, purpose, and motivation behind that engagement have evolved. This article explores the motivation behind faculty engagement with their communities. We wanted to better understand what compels faculty to participate in and work in the community despite the many and varied barriers that might stand in their way. We explored the why and how of participation with a significant emphasis on the why. This study builds on the work of Wade and Demb[i] and their Faculty Engagement Framework (FEM) described in …

Human Rights Perspectives In Social Work Practice With African Immigrants In Australia: 'It Starts With Respecting Them And Making Them Feel Like Humans', Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Frank Darkwa Baffour, Matthew Mabefam, Nnaemeka Meribe, Elizabeth Archibong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Increasing restrictionism and xenophobic policies in Western host countries curtail and endanger immigrants' civil and political rights as well as socio-economic well-being. This study is guided by the critical race theory (CRT), which provides a very important structure to critique social work practice with immigrants from a human rights lens and unpack the intersections of race, racism, and power. The objective of this study is to explore immigrants' perspectives on social work practices that prioritize human rights in Australia. To achieve this, a total of twenty-seven participants were interviewed, including eight social workers and nineteen immigrants of African background service …

Social Service Inclusion Of Immigrants Through The Lens Of Human Rights In Australia, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Matthew Mabefam, Nnaemeka Meribe, Frank Darkwa Baffour, Elizabeth Archibong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Motivation: A human-centred approach to social service design is necessary to encourage social service inclusion and to offer an avenue for social service action in Australia and globally. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to ascertain the extent to which social service providers design their services to include immigrants. Approach and methods: We draw on literature exploring social service inclusion and the perspectives of 27 social workers and immigrant service users. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight social workers and 19 immigrants who were purposefully selected from Brisbane, Townsville, Melbourne and Sydney. We applied the capability theoretical approach of …

Spiritual Practices In Survivor Care: A Qualitative Analysis Of Christian Faith-Based Shelters And Survivor Well-Being, Jeanne L. Allert

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Christian faith-based organizations constituted a significant proportion of shelter programs for survivors of sex trafficking in the United States, with an estimated 63% identifying as Christian-affiliated (Institute for Survivor Care, 2024). Despite their prevalence, such programs often elicited skepticism due to the rise of secularism (Pew Research, 2022) and concerns that spiritual programming might retraumatize survivors (Ahrens et al., 2010; Hodge, 2020). However, Ahrens et al. (2010) and Hodge (2020) also found that religious practices can be helpful. This qualitative study employed a trauma-informed, descriptive survey design to explore the experiences of 158 trafficking survivors, who had either resided in …

An Exhibition And Protest Of Executions In Iran, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

An exhibition and protest of executions in Iran was held in Washington, D.C. in June 2025. Portraits of 2000 men and women who were killed or executed in Iran since the 1980s were displayed on the National Mall in front of the Capitol. The Iranian Resistance estimates that 30,000 activists were massacred in one period in 1988. Executions of prisoners have continued steadily, making Iran the world’s leading executioner of men and women. In recent years, there has been a sharp escalation in the number of executions of prisoners. A United Nations Special Rapporteur reported that over 800 persons were …

Why Are Men So Obsessed With Pornography? Andrea Dworkin Was Right, Robert Jensen

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Extractivism And Water Crisis In The Moroccan Draa Oasis: Global South Reflections On Responsibility And Resistance, Ahmed El Khatabi

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. The Draa Oasis in southeastern Morocco is experiencing severe water scarcity, driven by climate change and intensified by the expansion of watermelon agribusiness and desert tourism. This article explores how external investors, empowered by national agricultural policies, have disrupted traditional water governance systems rooted in collective management. Through ethnographic fieldwork involving interviews, focus groups, and spatial mapping, the study examines the socio-environmental consequences of groundwater depletion and land commodification. It argues that investors fail to assume ethical accountability for the ecological degradation they cause, despite being aware of the oasis’s fragile ecosystem. Meanwhile, local communities and civil society actors …

Book Review: Maricel Guiao Santos, Rachel Showstack, Glenn A. Martínez, Drew Colcher, Dalia Magaña. (2024). Health Disparities And The Applied Linguist. Routledge, Pp. 148, David Sanchez-Jimenez

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Vulnerabilidad Socioambiental A Inundaciones En Dos Humedales De San Cristóbal De Las Casas, Chiapas, México, Ender Fabian Toledo Alcázar, Salvador Adame Martínez, Marcelino García Benítez

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract

This study encompasses the following urban wetlands: "La Kisst," situated in the city center, and "María Eugenia," located in the southern part of the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas. There are four wetlands within the municipality, all of which have been protected as natural areas by a Ramsar decree since 2008. The research aims to assess the socio-environmental vulnerability of the two wetlands using indicators in the environmental, social, and legal dimensions, thereby establishing the degree of vulnerability of the urban population exposed to flooding. The methodological process is defined by the proposal of CENAPRED, which establishes …