Student Engagement

Social Justice Summit

Save the Date for Social Justice Summit 2024: January 27

Previous Event Information:

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Registration is closed.

The Social Justice Summit, now in its twelfth year, is an event for ISU students to learn about critical questioning and relevant actions while also providing avenues for addressing global injustice. Aimed at developing advocates and activists, this day-long workshop will give you the chance to learn more about yourself, engage in discussion with other students on various issues, and create strategies for implementing social change! The 2023 Social Justice Summit: Everyday Tools for Social Justice will be held Saturday, January 28, 2023. This conference will feature three different types of breakout sessions: "Me," "We," and "Us".  

"Me" sessions will focus on equipping students with tools and knowledge on where they are in their own social justice journey. 

"We" sessions will focus on social justice as it relates to community. 

"Us" sessions focus on all participants of the conference and their learning together.

 

 *Registration is free and open to Iowa State University students only. 

Social justice is the continuous process of eliminating ignorance and prejudice through education and advocacy to bring about greater equity among all members of society and ensuring every dimension of identity is not oppressed by society as a whole.  Social justice is a process in which we strive to eliminate the roots of oppression  through education and the redistribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities. In the pursuit of social justice we must use education as a tool to empower the people so that we can eliminate  the oppression of all. Acting as one we must create an open, equitable, and just society.

Meet Our Keynote Speaker: Rabia Chaudry 

 

Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, and author of the New York Times bestselling book "Adnan's Story" and Executive Producer of a four-part HBO documentary "The Case Against Adnan Syed." Rabia is also co-producer and co-host of two podcasts, Undisclosed and The 45th. With nearly 300 million downloads, Undisclosed is the biggest wrongful conviction podcast in the world, and the Undisclosed has helped exonerate half a dozen defendants, and find new evidence to get over a dozen defendants back in court. The 45th is a weekly podcast examining the policies and politics of the 45th US Presidential administration.

Rabia is currently working on a new podcast project in partnership with iHeartMedia and her second book, "Fatty Fatty Boom Boom", a memoir on food, fat, and family, due to be published in 2020 by Algonquin Books, and is a frequent public speaker and writer.

 

For access needs, please email studentengage@iastate.edu at least 2 days prior to the event. 

Schedule

9:00 - 10:00 AM: Check-in 

10:00 - 10:10 AM: Welcome

10:10 - 11:10 AM Keynote Address with Rabia Chaudry

  • Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, and author of the New Yok Times bestselling book "Adnan's Story" and Executive Producer of a four-part HBO documentary "The Case Against Adnan Syed." Rabia is also co-producer and co-host of two podcasts, Undisclosed and The 45th.

11:20 AM - 12:20 PM: Breakout Session #1

  • Option #1: Actors, Allies, and Accomplices: A Toolkit for Awareness to Action (Me Track)

Every person is at a different place in their social justice journey and needs different support and resources for success. This session will give participants from across the spectrum the ability to formulate a SMART goal(s) for their social justice action plan and identify whether they are an actor, accomplice, or an ally.  

  • Option #2: From The International Student Council to You: Creating A More Unified Cyclone Community (We Track)

As one of the main representatives of International Students on campus, we highlight the struggles international students might experience during their college life and share what we've been doing and what we, as a university, can do to make the cyclone experience the best. 

12:00 - 1:00 PM: Book Signing with Rabia Chaudry

12:30 - 1:30 PM: Lunch

1:40 - 2:40 PM: Breakout Session #2

  • Option #1: Understanding Social Justice Through the Power of Place (Me Track)

Through centering Place participants will engage in critical explorations and conversations particularly, viewed through three contexts of self, society, and systems, to gain clearer understandings of a layered history of social injustice; and examine our role in furthering a just society.  

  • Option #2: Engaging with Social Justice as a Goal for Community Change (We Track)

How can you make the world a better place? Maybe being kind or caring for the environment come to mind when you think about making the world a better place, but what does social justice have to do with that? In this session, we will discover different approaches to advance social justice in our community and why participating in community action is important for making the world a more equitable and inclusive place. We will work together as a group to set goals and commit to social justice movements in our community in both big and small, yet impactful and meaningful ways. No matter where you are on your journey to social justice, this session is for you. 

2:50 - 3:10 PM: Break

3:10 - 4:10 PM: Breakout Session #3

  • Option #1: Burnout in Social Justice Work (Me Track)

Engaging in advocacy, activism, or other aspects of social justice work can be difficult and taxing physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. With this in mind it is important to find ways to balance doing good work without burning out so that you can return to the work again and again.  

In this interactive session we will engage in dialogue and activities that will help you determine what you need to center a practice of wellness as you engage in your social justice work so that it is sustainable to your health and energy. This will in turn sustain your social justice work. 

 

  • Option #2: On Solid Ground: Building Foundations for Courageous Conversations (We Track)

From your family dinner table to your favorite TikTok-er, everyone’s talking about social justice. But are we actually talking about the same thing? What do words like justice and intersectionality mean, anyway? Join us for an interactive and engaging dialogue focusing on the (sometimes confusing) language of social justice. We’ll demystify common terms and explore foundational concepts, build self-confidence for engaging in conversations, and establish and expand our social justice toolkits – and finally figure out what the heck everyone’s talking about. 

4:15 - 4:30 PM: Closing & Thank You

*10:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Fatty Fatty Boom Boom by Rabia Chaudry Available for Purchase from the ISU Bookstore

*10:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Human Rights Resource Fair

 

Session Descriptions and Locations Coming Soon!

A book signing with Rabia Chaudry will also be occurring from 2-3pm on Saturday, January 28 at Dog-Eared Books in Ames!

 

Books are available for purchase immediately from Dog-Eared Books, or can be purchased from the Iowa State University Bookstore from 10am-1pm the day of the event. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions? Contact sjsummit@iastate.edu!

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