E VEN T S
Events
• 5th Annual Social Justice Symposium • The Donald L. Hollowell Lecture • Art + Education for Social Justice Symposium
Uniting Communities - the 5th Annual Social Justice Symposium by David Terraso F or five years, students in the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia have helped highlight issues affecting their local communities by gathering community members, service providers, fellow students, and academics at its Social Justice Symposium (SJS). The day-long student-run community event aspires to foster dialogue among those aiming to right injustices that people on the margins face.
On January 23, 2021, through the power of Zoom, the symposium reached beyond the Athens area to feature not only social justice organizations based around the flagship university, but to attract attendees in states beyond. In addition, students from the school’s Gwinnett campus joined to help organize and stage the conference. “The SJS is one of the most important events of the year at the School of Social Work,” said Dean Anna Scheyett, who kicked-off the morning panels. “It is a time when students and the community work together to better understand and tackle some of the most pressing social justice issues we all face.”
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The concept of social justice - the idea that every human being is worthy of honor, respect, and deserves equal economic, social, and cultural rights - is central to social work. Showing students and the community how they can band together to bring hope and real change is just one of the reasons Llewellyn Cornelius, professor and director of the Center for Social Justice, Civil, and Human Rights, began the Symposium five years ago.
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Dr. Jasmine Clark Keynote
State Legislative Representative GA House District 108, Lilburn/Mtn. Park
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State Representative Dr. Jasmine Clark (District 108) delivered the keynote address in which she spoke about moving forward in hope. Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of the voter enfranchisement organization Fair Fight Action, accepted the June Gary Hopps Bridge Award on behalf of the nonprofit. The award, established in 2017, is given on behalf of its namesake, the School of Social Work’s illustrious professor and social justice
