2022 Social Justice Conference

• Conference Welcome by IU Former Vice President James C. Wimbush
• Opening Remarks by IU President Pamela Whitten
• African American Arts Institute Performance
• Remarks by IU and City Officials
• Remarks by Eddie Cole, Ph.D., City Keynote
• Building Bridges Awards
• IU MLK Student Organization Grant Awardees
• Keynote Session #2: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II

View the welcome recording

View the keynote recording

Keynote Session #3: Tabatha Jones Jolivet, Ph.D.

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Combatting Anti-Semitism: A Growing Threat at IU and on College Campuses

The commitment to social justice, promoting diversity and working toward a better world are cornerstones of Jewish thought and Jewish life. These values, while inherent to Judaism, are also borne out of centuries of facing persecution and anti-semitism. Over the past few years, there has been a marked increase in anti-semitism on college campuses and has been on the rise here at IU this year. Learn more about Judaism, social justice and the rise in anti-semitism at IU and on college campuses across the US.

Presenter(s): Sue Silberberg (Rabbi)

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Critical Race Theory Explained by an Original Participant

Critical Race Theory is a framework that helps us understand how race and racism shape some of our laws, policies, and structures despite civil rights reforms. The purpose of CRT is to address structural inequality, which is manifested in racial disparities of the significant socio-economic statistics. This session will explain the origins and conceptual understandings embedded in CRT by one of those who participated in the Madison Workshop in 1989.

Presenter(s): Kevin Brown (Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law)

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Cultivating Students' Oppositional Consciousness

The academic process demands students learn to think critically, assess situations, and become changemakers in society. However, how well does the institution equip students with tools to understand, question, and interrogate society's most pressing issues and concerns? This session seeks to unpack how students have cultivated oppositional identities to topics of interest and calls on institutional agents to discover more comprehensive ways to support students' endeavors to conquer the world.

Presenter(s): Donté Miller, M.Ed. (he/him) (Ph.D. Candidate in Higher Education, School of Education Assistant Director of Programming and Administration, Hudson and Holland Scholars Program (HHSP))

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Doing the Work as an SJED Scholar: Perspectives from a Social Justice Education Program

This session will present facts and findings in relation to the implementation of programming led by student leaders in the Social Justice Scholars Program. Education and action and civic engagement and cultural competency anchor the development fostered through the SJED Program. Participants will engage scholars on how Social Justice Education (SJEd) at IU Indianapolis finds ways to help the community explore issues of power, privilege, and oppression in an effort to create a more equitable campus, city, and world. We collaborate across IU Indianapolis to bring programs, facilitations, and trainings to students, staff, and faculty.

Presenter(s): Debora Rodriguez-Banegas (Social Justice Education Scholar), Zola Lamonthe (Social Justice Education Scholar and Social Justice R.A.), Alston Souza (Social Justice Education Scholar)

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Interrogating Islamophobia

The presenter is a fashion historian and convert to Islam, who is deeply aware of the stereotypes that many Americans have about Muslim women. This session focuses on her experiences with Islamophobia, her research on the 'burqa ban' laws, and some positive aspects of Islam that are rarely discussed in the media.

Presenter(s): Heather Akou (Associate Professor of Fashion Design)

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IU Student Activism: Then & Now

IU Student Activism: Then & Now is an opportunity to hear the stories of student activists. Indiana University has seen several student leaders protesting for change. Whether it was the Student Coalition of the mid-1990s to the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020s our students have been at the forefront of the struggle. Hear their stories --- building coalitions --- protests --- confronting local and national issues -- creating better environments.

Presenter(s): Bruce E. Smail (Director, LGBTQ+ Culture Center/Special Assistant to the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs), Carl Darnell, Ph.D. (Assistant Dean, School of Education and Director, Hudson & Holland Scholars Program), Kyrian Freeman (IUB Student Body President), Ariyonna Cousins (IUB Black Student Union President), Todd Deloney Sr. (IUNW 1990 BSU President, BA communications 92’)

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Loving Blackness: Dismantling Anti-Black Sentiments

Moving in the space of anti-racism means internally dismantling policies that we uphold such as onboarding, dress code, training, and much more. Anti-Black sentiments still plague our community and schools and we must address these issues. The audience will receive tangible steps to address Anti-Black sentiments with a checklist worksheet and additional tools to move from anti-Blackness to loving and embracing Blackness.

Presenter(s): Maqubè Reese (Associate Director, Kelley Office of Diversity Initiatives)

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Redefining Rigor to Support Inclusive Teaching

Rigor is sometimes used as resistance to inclusive teaching, with arguments that standards must be kept high. The instructional approaches and policies designed to be equitable can water down learning or the value of a class. Too often, such negative views of rigor arise from inadequate definitions or those that rely on deficit models rather than on pedagogies intentionally built to support student learning. This session will explore various aspects of rigor. It will ask participants to define it in their own teaching contexts and examine how a clearly articulated definition of rigor is essential to truly inclusive and equitable teaching.

Presenter(s): Greg Siering (Director, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning), Vivian N. Halloran (Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, College of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of English)

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Boldness of Bigger Bodies: A Discussion on Uplifting the Entire Existence of Fat Black Women

This session will examine and discuss larger body Black women who have contributed to the development and advancement of Black women and society. This session aims to center the bodies that are normally discarded due to size, but 'conveniently' uplifted once their work, talent, and contributions are considered beneficial. This session will incorporate tenets of Critical Race Theory and discussions from the frameworks of intersectionality and Black feminism. This collective conversation will end with a call to action for communities to recognize the work of these fat Black women and see them as a whole person, no matter their size.

Presenter(s): Ellise A. Smith (Founder of Fatness Fiction/Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)

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Centering Minoritized Populations in Social Justice Efforts: Research and Practical Implications

This session will break down what it means to center a specific population in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Based on the collective understanding on how to highlight minoritized voices, there will be a series of examples from higher education experts on how they center specific populations in both research and practice. The audience will take away examples and considerations for focusing on a specific minoritized population to further improve their higher education experiences.

Presenter(s): Christen Priddie (Postdoctoral Scholar)

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Education Alone Isn't Enough: Lessons Learned From the Pandemic

The presenters will discuss social and academic lessons learned since the world came to a screeching halt in the spring of 2020. The momentary progress experienced in social justice pursuits and the whiplash that is currently transpiring to walk back those and other gains is addressed. Presenters also visit what needs to be done going forward so that we do not stumble back to this place in the near future. Consider this a primer on intersectionality, white fragility, the need for more than just new knowledge, and how to commit to being change agents.

Presenter(s): Selene Carter, M.F.A. (Associate Professor/Associate Chair/Faculty Fellow), Rosalyn Davis, Ph.D. (Clinical Associate Professor/Faculty Diversity Liaison/MHC Program Director)

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Finding Strength and Reducing Compassion Fatigue

The call to advocate for communities of the disenfranchised and ensure rights are protected can be exhausting. Police brutality, claims of voter fraud, financial crisis, and upheavals in education and child care have touched most of us. Yet, we persist. This discussion will address how to maintain wellness, build communities, and identify strategies and resources to stay well while continuing to follow our purpose.

Presenter(s): Denise Hayes (Assistant Vice Provost of Student Affairs and Director of Counseling and Psychological Services)

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Righting a Wrong: IU's Japanese American Ban

From 1942 to 1945, Indiana University banned Japanese American students. In 2021, IU issued an apology implemented by establishing a campus memorial and reparations-inspired scholarship program. This session offers an overview of the campaign for an apology and its larger relationship with Japanese American reparations movements and solidarity.

Presenter(s): Eric Langowski (Alumnus, Japanese American Citizens League), Lisa Doi (Ph.D. Student, American Studies)

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Standing up for One's Civil Rights with Brian Vukadinovich.

Join for a conversation with Brian Vukadinovich where he discusses the journey of fighting for his civil rights. Mr. Vukadinovich, a retired teacher and the former executive director of the Posner Center of Justice for Pro Se's shares his experiences overcoming employment discrimination and fighting against rouge police. Throughout his ordeal, he successfully represented himself in criminal court proceedings eventually winning several judgments against a variety of persecutors and was eventually awarded significant damages. His story is told in full in his book Motion for Justice: I Rest My Case.

Presenter(s): James Wallace Jr., Ph.D. (Director of ODEMA), Brian Vukadinovich (Author/Educator/Activist)

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Social Justice, Education, and Islamophobia

This session presents the views of experts, community and student leaders' lived experience as Muslim Americans dealing with Islamophobia in politics, culture and our daily lives. All participants have adopted an approach focused on education and inspired by Dr. King's legacy. Research and practice have shown that, just like racism, Islamophobia is reduced considerably by acquiring a good liberal arts education and by meeting Muslims in a college, professional or other settings. The panel focuses in particular on the lived experience of African American Muslims, especially women, who have to contend with both ethnic and religious stereotyping and bias.

Presenter(s): Abdulkader Sinno (Associate Professor of Political Science and MELC), Alwiya Omar (Professor), Ruhan Syed (Student Leader), Ramatou Soumare (Student Leader), Sadia Habib (Student Leader)

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Teaching to the "Critical" in Critical Race Theory

Critical Race Theory has become part of the national dialogue on race over the past year, partly due to the racial reckoning that arose in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and amidst right-wing alarms about its power to "brainwash" children in K-12. School districts from Florida to California have lumped it with The 1619 Project and moved to ban both from classrooms, and Indiana Attorney Todd Rokita has published a Parent's Bill of Rights full of misinformation to prevent the teaching of anything to do with race or diversity. This session will present CRT's key claims and lead a discussion on how it can provide a useful framework for understanding and teaching the history of race in the US.

Presenter(s): Darryl Heller (Director of the IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center and Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies)

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