Supply Drive Gives Back for Racial Justice

By Allison Sowatzka '22
August 13, 2020

The spring of 2020 hit our country, and especially our very own community, with an intensity stronger than that of any hurricane.

The murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed made us on the Cretin-Derham Hall Student Council realize that we had the responsibility to do something to combat the racism that members of our own neighborhood and school face everyday. After countless discussions over the best route of action, we decided to host a School Supply Drive aimed at providing supplies to the students of the Twin Cities who need it most.

Teaming up with the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center of St. Paul and the YWCA of Minneapolis, we asked the CDH community to help us provide school supplies for students in the area to ensure they all can have an equal opportunity for a successful school year. The response we received to our drive in the final week of July was unimaginable. By the time of the drive’s finale, the entire floor of the CDH language office was blanketed with countless notebooks, binders, papers, and pencils to support learners of all ages.

Our partners at Hallie Q Brown and the YWCA were beyond enthusiastic about the donations they received and have ensured us that every item will be greatly appreciated this up coming school year.

The Student Council is extremely glad to say the Supply Drive was a major success, but we also recognize that it is no solution to racism. Instead, we hope that it will help alleviate some of racism’s ugly effects and serve as a step on Cretin-Derham Hall’s campaign for racial justice.