In a first-of-its-kind event, the IUPUI Center for Translating Research Into Practice, the IUPUI Social Justice Education Department, and the IUPUI Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion joined forces to present the 2024 IUPUI Social Justice Symposium. Brought together by a shared desire to educate and serve IUPUI and the larger Indiana community, the campus organizations worked collectively to showcase IUPUI student organizational skills and cross-disciplinary faculty scholarship while offering the campus and wider community access to Dr. Treva B. Lindsey, a renowned keynote speaker at no cost. Over 200 people attended this year's Social Justice Symposium events.
History
The Social Justice Symposium was created in 2016 by Social Justice Coordinator, Peter Limthonvratn and Assistant Director Amanda Bonilla. The daylong conference was conceptualized as a way to give students interested in social justice issues an avenue to connect, learn, and develop leadership skills. Inspired by the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, the conference was envisioned to be a low cost way for students to connect into the local and global community to advocate for social change.
In 2022, leadership of the symposium was bestowed upon Shonda Nicole Gladden, Multicultural Center and Social Justice Education Specialist. Under Gladden’s leadership, the vision for the symposium has been to intentionally curate a space that intersects justice, arts, humanities, and community in ways that help students, staff, faculty, and community members think critically about the world around them and be exposed to practioners committed to doing justice in creative and innovative ways.
Theme
Social Justice in Action: Interrogating the Landscape and Igniting Passion
The theme was inspired by the United Nations' 2024 Summit of the Future theme, “Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow.” Event participants were asked to consider the question, “What does social justice in action look like?” Throughout the day-long conference, participants engaged in conversations, knowledge sharing, and strategies that explored this question through the sub-themes of environment, art, culture, and health. These sub-themes were intended to provide participants with opportunities to develop practical solutions that inspire us to believe “each” one of us can be part of social justice in action.
Attendee Feedback
"Thank you for an outstanding Social Justice Symposium and its preceeding cultural arts reception. Thank you, also, for the presentation of your courageous research on Black men's responses to trauma. Your trials with community-based research in the Black community mirror my own 30 years ago. I could not be more proud of your demonstrated commitment to the Beloved Community. Stand strong and carry on." - Dr. Lorraine Blackman, TRIP Scholar and Professor Emerita
Click the buttons below to see photos from the Social Justice Symposium Reception on March 7, 2024 and the conference on March 8, 2024.