SMC Votes, a division of the Center for Faith, Action and Ministry, hosted a discussion about banned books Wednesday.
As the young voters of Saint Mary’s start to discern their stance on book bans and other political issues, SMC Votes provides a forum for students to make their voices heard and to consider the opinions of others.
SMC Votes co-coordinator and co-host of the Wednesday discussion, sophomore Amelia Moroney, explained the organization’s purpose.
“Our goal is to every month have an informal and engaging discussion on a certain topic and bring people in from all different perspectives to share their experiences and learn more about the world,” Moroney said.
Moroney explained why she thinks it is important to host open discussions with young voters and fellow students.
“SMC Votes is designed to foster participation and education in student voters and I think being able to talk to other people about why they believe the way they do or vote the way they do helps create a more informed voter,” she said.
As book bans start to appear in headlines more frequently and politicians assert their stances for election season, Moroney said SMC Votes thought it would be valuable to unpack this topic.
“We chose book bans because censorship is such an important theme in the world of education, and as students, I think we have really unique perspectives, especially as Saint Mary’s is a private school,” Moroney said. “We have students from all different parts of the country experiencing things in different ways. It’s a really cool and unique thing to be able to talk with people who have different experiences than you.”
Moroney said her mission is to create more informed Saint Mary’s voters. She added that these discussions have changed her understanding of the community around her.
“I feel more knowledgeable about book bans as a topic but also more informed about censorship and the value of education,” Moroney said. “I have a very deep appreciation for the experiences of others and how that shapes their political views.”
Morgan Allred, a Saint Mary’s freshman and regular attendee of the SMC Votes “Discussions and Donuts” meetings, said she valued the conversation on book bans.
“Books have been a huge part of my life,” she said. “A lot of my opinions of the world have been formed from the non-fiction and fictional books I’ve read. I feel like books are useful to gain insight into things I’m passionate about.”
Allred said the feeling of being heard in a discussion on the censorship of books is validating.
“This conversation has been very beneficial for me in the way that I got a lot of differing opinions,” Allred said. “I learned a lot of information that I genuinely didn’t know before. I got to speak about something I’m very passionate about”
Allred said she hopes more Saint Mary’s students will continue to involve themselves in these SMC Votes discussions, as she believes it can have a real and positive impact within the sisterhood.
“Conversations like this can improve Saint Mary’s College because whether we speak about it or not, things can get very black and white,” she said. “Having a space where it’s very safe and very open to speak about any topic is really important.”
The next SMC Votes event will be Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. on the topic of LGBTQ+ rights.
