Photo by Cade Pair, staff photographer
| Emma Owen Blazer News Editor [email protected] |  |
MahitaTekumalla, junior in digital marketing and president of the Student Justice Advocacy Council, said she joined SJAC to make a difference on her campus.
“SJAC’s mission is to empower and celebrate marginalized communities while also educating the UAB community through various inclusive events throughout the year,” Tekumalla said. “I wanted to join SJAC because I felt it is important to be a leader and not only educate myself but my UAB peers about the importance of social justice and intersectionality.”
Tekumalla said she enjoys advocating for inclusivity during her favorite SJAC event, Coming Out on the Green.
“This is a great event we host in October to kick off the LGBTQ+ history month,” Tekumalla said.“We usually have super fun activities and amazing resources tabled out on the Green for the LGBTQ+ and the UAB community.”
Tekumalla said students can look forward to celebrating Black History Month with SJAC through their event, Poetic Justice at Feb. 24, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Alumni Theater.
“This is an event (at) UAB (where) students perform their spoken word pieces that are centered around the theme,” Tekumalla said.(The theme) this semester will be revolving around Black History Month.”
Shreya Malhotra, senior in neuroscience and Leader of the Affiliate Board within SJAC, said SJAC plays many roles in trying to enhance the college experience for students of all backgrounds.
“SJAC, which is part of the Student Multicultural and Diversity Programs (SMDP) at UAB, has several goals, but the overall purpose is to educate and empower students and the community on issues related to social justice,” Malhotra said.“This is to celebrate diversity, empower underrepresented individuals and to increase cultural awareness.”
Malhotra said she chose to become involved in SJAC to advocate for issues important to her such as women equality and diversity on campus.
“I chose to become and then remain involved in this organization because I wanted to be directly involved in interacting with individuals from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences,” Malhotra said.“I wanted to learn from them and also help them advocate for their own causes, thus contributing to the growth of the immense amount of diversity we have on this campus.”
Malhotra said through events such as the Social Justice Conference, International Women’s Day and the Social Justice Mixers, her involvement in SJAC has been a highlight of her time as an undergraduate.
Ritika Samant, first year student inneuroscience, said her time serving with SJAC has been special for her.
“Now that I think about it, SJAC is probably the best thing that’s happened to me this year,” Samant said. “So, I’m incredibly grateful to hold the position I hold and work with such amazing people on events that truly matter.”
Samant said she currently serves on the SJAC Programming Board as a freshman representative and encourages students to attend the group’s events throughout year.
“(Our events) are so fun and welcoming,” Samant said. “We aim to educate people and to celebrate social justice, but we can only do that if people keep coming and bringing their friends.”
Samant said she also recommends that students join SJAC to help serve the students at UAB.
“To anyone seeking to get involved with SJAC, do it,” Samant said. “It’s so worth it and it’s honestly the best decision I’ve made on campus to interview for this organization.”
