Racial Justice Through Collaborative Programs and Projects

UD Community Engagement Initiative

Join us for a year long speaker series dedicated to racial justice.

LINK WILL BE SENT 2 HOURS BEFORE THE EVENT BEGINS. The death of George Floyd, the injuring of Jacob Blake and many other African Americans who have been subjects of police violence, has moved people of all races and ethnicities throughout the world to respond to these atrocities with determination that their deaths will mark the beginning of an end to the long and tragic history of racial injustice. Large crowds of peaceful protestors in communities across the nation have demanded a change not only in police practices but in our nation’s priorities as a democratic society that demonstrates respect for all lives. CEI is committed to supporting these changes by applying the knowledge, creativity and civic commitment of the University of Delaware to the critical challenges facing communities in Delaware and across the nation. No community challenge is more critical now than securing equal justice. During the 2020-2021 academic year, the Community Engagement Initiative will provide programming and resources designed to provide solutions to current racial inequities in our local and global communities. The broad range of projects demonstrate the many ways UD is collaborating in and with community partners to create a more just and inclusive world. 4:00 – 5:00 PM via Zoomo	September 16, 2020o	October 8, 2020o	November 12, 2020o	December 10, 2020o	February 11, 2021o	March 2021o	April 15, 2021o	May 13, 2021

Wednesday September 16, 2020: “Race and Racism at University of Delaware”Moderators: Alison Parker and Lynnette Overby Co-Chairs, UD Antiracism InitiativeSpeakers:<ul><li>Ted Davis, Political Science &amp; International Relations, Co-Chair, UD Antiracism Initiative</li><li>Norma Gaines-Hanks, Human Development and Family Sciences</li><li>Ronald Whittington, Former Executive Assistant to the President and Director of Affirmative Action </li><li>Sharon Neal, Department of Chemistry &amp; Biochemistry </li><li>Joyce Henderson, Former Assistant Director for Employer Partnerships in the Career Services Center</li></ul>This symposium aims to ascertain where the University stood in the past regarding race and racism, with an eye toward understanding where the University is today The panelists will provide an historical view, from their perspectives, of how race, race relations, and racism have evolved on the University of Delaware’s campus. They will also address what issues are still unresolved and how we can address them in the future.

Thursday October 8, 2020 – Environmental and energy (in)justice in 2020Moderator: Eric Rise, Department of SociologySpeakers: <ul><li>Jeremy Firestone, School of Marine Sciences and Policy </li><li>Monica Sanders, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice</li></ul>Environmental Justice refers, on one hand, to a social movement, and on the other, to a substantive claim/standard of fair distribution of environmental and human health burdens and benefits—that is, distributive justice, and meaningful involvement in and equal access to environmental decision-making—that is, procedural justice. Environmental justice is neither a social program nor affirmative action, but rather concerns (in)justices around the siting of industrial facilities, pipelines, and power plants (locally unwanted land uses—LULUs), the provision of clean air and clean water, and the enforcement of environmental laws. The environmental justice movement grew organically from a sustained protest to a 1982 decision to site a hazardous waste landfill in the predominately African-American community that resided in Warren County, North Carolina. Yet, environmental justice is not focused on solely the injustices to African-American communities, but also includes inequitable siting in Native American communities, communities composed of other People of Color, and low-income communities where individuals lack economic and political influence. In light of the energy transition, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the disparate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is timely for us to consider how the US legal system, including the judicial branch, has addressed or has failed to address the disparate impacts from the siting of LULUs and the provision of clean air and water in marginalized communities and what a more just legal system might consider.

Thursday November 12, 2020: Racism and Health“Structural Racism as a Fundamental Cause of Health Inequities in Delaware."Moderator: Rita Landgraf, Director, Partnership for Healthy CommunitiesSpeakers: <ul><li>Erin Knight, Associate Director, Partnership for Healthy Communities </li><li>Cassandra Codes-Johnson, Assoc. Deputy Director, Division of Public Health, Delaware Health and Social Services.</li></ul>Our overall health is strongly influenced by where we live, learn, work, play and pray. It is also heavily influenced by your income level, education, and health care services. Our culture, language, political and religious beliefs, social norms and attitudes, and the rates of poverty, crime, and violence also affect our health. Society can achieve greater health equity as its environmental, social, and economic conditions improve. Health inequities are historically entrenched and pervasive, but they are not insurmountable. We can be most effective by transforming our collective thinking from a perspective focused on treatment of the individual, to one that focuses on prevention, health, and wellness of the broader population. The focus of this session is to raise awareness that structural and systemic racism is the fundamental cause of health inequities, instilled in policy/resource allocations, and perpetuates health inequities. We will highlight a call to action for all of us to make fundamental shifts in our approaches.https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ccrs/research/Health%20Policy%20Research/recent-publications-presentations/briefs

Thursday, December 10, 2020: The Power of the Arts to Educate, Heal and Facilitate Meaningful Conversations“You can't help it. An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.” ― Nina Simone Moderator: Suzanne Burton, CAS Associate Dean for the ArtsSpeakers: <ul><li>Noel Archambeault, Department of Theatre</li><li>Colin Miller, School of Music </li><li>Lynnette Overby, Department of Theatre</li><li>Colette Gaiter, Department of Africana Studies &amp; Department of Art &amp; Design </li></ul>A panel of University of Delaware arts and social change leaders will describe their work in a variety of art forms (theatre, dance, visual arts and music) created to promote self and societal understanding and move people to action. During their presentation they will share excerpts of their work and describe motivations and impact on audiences and participants.

Thursday, February 11, 2021: The Newark NAACP/UD Partnership Moderator: Jeffrey Richardson, College of Arts &amp; Sciences Speakers: <ul><li>Freeman Williams, President, NAACP Newark Chapter </li><li>Representative from the UD Library</li><li>Cami Seward (Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow)</li></ul>The University of Delaware partners with various organizations in the Newark community, focusing on programs that enhance the long-term quality of life throughout Newark. CEI supports the UD-NAACP Partnership that focuses on improved collaborations in support of greater diversity and inclusion in the community and the University. A key function of the UD/NAACP partnership has been to preserve the heritage of Newark’s African American community, its landmarks, its history and its contributions. Included in this work is the preservation of the history of the School Hill community adjacent to the University of Delaware. CEI and the UD Library have worked with the NAACP and the Friends of School Hill to preserve the history of this community.

Thursday, April 15, 2021: Partnership for Public Education– Antiracism and Social JusticeModerator: Liz Farley Ripple, Director, Partnership for Public EducationThe Partnership for Public Education promotes equity-centered partnerships between the University and Delaware public education organizations. This panel will feature several of our fellows and campus partners - Drs. Janine DeNovais (SOE), Ann Aviles (HDFS), Roderick Carey (HDFS), Jill Flynn (English), and Elizabeth Soslau (SOE)- who have spent significant time working with educators in a range of contexts to address issues of race and social justice in schools. Our conversation will focus on what they've learned about the role of race in public education as well as the promises and challenges of racial equity initiatives in education.

Thursday, May 13, 2021: Student Presentations Student Presentations – Undergraduate Community Engagement Scholars and Graduate Community Engagement Certificate students will share their social justice projects.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Racial Justice Through Collaborative Programs and Projects

More events from UD Community Engagement Initiative

Discover more events from UD Community Engagement Initiative, from Community to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.

Racial Justice Through Collaborative Programs and Projects

More events from UD Community Engagement Initiative

Discover more events from UD Community Engagement Initiative, from Community to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.