Saint Louis University Student Speaks at Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice

Saint Louis University Student Speaks at Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice

ST. LOUIS - "I look at everything through a personal lens - that could be me on the other end of this supply chain."

Saint Louis University senior Sahar Hussaini shared her views on fast consumerism and why she believes in Catholic Ethical Purchasing at the 2025 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. The event, held annually in Washington, D.C., is the nation's largest Catholic social justice advocacy day.

Hussaini participated in the panel discussion, "Weaving the Threads: Successes, Struggles and Strategies for Bringing the Ethical Purchasing Movement on your Campus." In addition to Hussaini, the panel included students from the University of Dayton and Loyola University Maryland, who shared the actions and advocacy they have undertaken on their campuses to promote the rights and protection of workers and the planet.

"It was an amazing experience to hear from very insightful leaders at other schools," Hussaini said.

The theme of the 2025 Ignatian Family Teach-In was Pressing On.

"I see this all through my own experience. Many in immigrant communities are working in fast fashion or as underpaid forced labor," she said. "When I look at the label before I buy, I think of myself or my family in their shoes and I try to make the most ethical choice."

Hussaini immigrated to the United States in 2020 from Afghanistan.

This is Hussaini's first experience at the Ignatian Teach-In. She said she was impressed to hear other first-generation students speaking their minds on a variety of social justice topics.

"I'm a first-gen and it was empowering to hear all these other first-gens saying all the things out loud, with some sharing their experiences as an immigrant," Hussaini said. "It was so refreshing to hear diverse opinions on social justice issues."

SLU partnered with the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance (CEPA) in 2024 to provide SLU's bookstore, the Billiken Shop, with ethically sourced spirit wear that reflects the university's Catholic, Jesuit tradition. CEPA cultivates relationships between Catholic institutions and ethical, sustainable producers of products.

Ethically sourced products can be found on the Billiken Shop's website by searching CEPA.

Hussaini and other students in the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business led the efforts for the partnership. Last fall, a group of students visited the Carolina Textile District in Morganton, North Carolina, where they toured textile industry businesses and learned about ethical labor practices and environmental sustainability. Through site visits, students learned about limiting waste, regional supply chains, and the importance of circularity, the concept of using a resource more efficiently by keeping the material in use for as long as possible, getting the most we can from the material during its use, and then recovering it to make new products.

"I shared what we have done at SLU, how we have implemented ethical purchasing at the Business School, and hope to expand more across campus," Hussaini said. "The conversations and questions were good and engaging. It gave me ideas for where else we could take ethical purchasing."

Hussaini said one group she would like to engage with are other student organizations on campus.

"We know with students there is a financial barrier to ethical purchasing and it can take a lot out of someone's budget," Hussaini said. "But spreading awareness and helping people think before they purchase something is a way to slowly bring change."

She added that small actions do matter. In 2023, Hussaini began helping business owners and new immigrants as a board member of the new Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Afghan Community Center in St. Louis. She is continuing their social justice work by helping other Afghan women become leaders in area organizations.

"Women in the community are looking to me because I have an education, and many Afghan women don't have that opportunity," she said. "But women can speak for themselves, and I'm enjoying helping empower others."

Hussaini is double majoring in Business Technology Management and Finance, while interning at Worldwide Technology. She has secured a job with Deloitte after graduation from SLU this spring.

Saint Louis University

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious Catholic research institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 13,300 students a rigorous, transformative education that challenges and prepares them to make the world a better place. As a nationally recognized leader in research and innovation, SLU is an R1 research university, advancing groundbreaking, life-changing discoveries that promote the greater good.