In response to protests around the country and around the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police we at the Social Justice Film Institute feel it important to honor the social justice moment we're living in right now. This document is intended to share films and reading inspired by the mission of social justice and racial equity and resources to donate in aid of those fighting for black lives and protesting police brutality. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The Social Justice Film Festival stands in solidarity with black communities and with organizers and protestors demanding justice and equity across the nation. We are committed to a global culture where it is not just equality but equity that is achieved on all levels. We will work to affirm the artists who make the art of filmmaking and the public bearing witness from our personal lens and from the streets an integral part of social change. Justice Matters. Black Lives Matter.

Welcome! This guide is informed by the Catholic social teaching concept of "human dignity," and provides resources to help the UP community approach every member with dignity, regardless of race, sex/gender identity, ability, class, or political perspective. As Pope John XXIII said: "Any human society, if it is to be well-ordered and productive, must lay down as a foundation this principle, namely, that every human being is a person, that is, his nature is endowed with intelligence and free will. Indeed, precisely because he is a person he has rights and obligations flowing directly and simultaneously from his very nature." Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”), 1963, #9.