The Office of Student Inclusion & Diversity and the Social Justice Symposium Committee at UNC Pembroke will hold their annual Social Justice Symposium virtually on Feb. 9.

First held in 2008, the Social Justice Symposium provides a space for students, faculty, staff, alumni, scholars and the community to advance equity, inclusion and social justice. The symposium also works to increase awareness, share ideas and experiences, foster dialogue, highlight research and resources, build networks and empower participants by providing strategies and techniques for taking action against injustice.

The 2022 Social Justice Symposium will feature a keynote speaker and breakout sessions and focus on creating social justice protectors who will champion and advocate for change in their community.

Frankie Roberts, the executive director of Leading Into New Communities, Inc. (LINC), is the keynote speaker. Roberts co-founded LINC, a Wilmington, North Carolina, nonprofit agency, with Tracey Ray after losing his brother to incarceration and addiction. LINC’s mission is to educate and motivate youth to make positive life choices while empowering men and women returning from incarceration to be productive members of our community. LINC has successfully helped reintegrate over 1,200 men and women who have been released from prison since 2002, 92% of which have remained out of prison.

While admission is free, registration is required to attend the symposium.

To register, visit uncp.edu/sjs/. Registrants will receive information on how to attend the symposium virtually.

Sessions during the symposium include:

11-11:50 a.m.: Breakout Sessions

On the Basis of Sex: Expansive Protections of Title IX

• Danielle Evans, Campus Investigator, Office of Title IX and Clery Compliance, UNCP

Social Media and Its Impact on the Meteoric Rise of Human Trafficking

• Judi Paparozzi, Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, UNCP

Part 1 of Session: Major Issues Related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging

• Dr. Noell Rowan, Professor and Associate Director, School of Social Work, UNC Wilmington

Immigration Law and Policy

• Vanessa Gonzalez, President, The Law Office of Vanessa A. Gonzalez PLLC

Water Protectors

• Reggie Brewer, Youth Culture Coordinator, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina’s Boys and Girls Club
• Donna Chavis, Founder, Red-tailed Hawk Collective and Senior Climate Campaigner, Friends of the Earth US
• Jefferson Currie II, Lumber Riverkeeper 
• Dr. Ryan Emanuel, Associate Professor of Hydrology, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

12-12:50 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

Part 2 of Session: Major Issues Related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging

• Dr. Noell Rowan, Professor and Associate Director, School of Social Work, UNC Wilmington

From Ally to Solidarity: Whiteness in the Work of Racial Equity

• Brian D. Crisp, Minister of Missions and Adult Education, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church

Healthcare and the LGBTQIA+ Community

• Dr. Angela Wadsworth, Senior Lecturer of Sociology, UNC Wilmington

Food Insecurity and Food Justice

• Sydnie Eder, Student, UNCP
• Dr. Brooke Kelly, Assistant Chair and Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, UNCP
• Zachary Young, CARE Resource Center Manager, Office of Community and Civic Engagement, UNCP student

1-1:50 p.m.: Keynote Address

Re-entry, Everyone Counts!

• Frankie Roberts, Executive Director, Leading Into New Communities, Inc.

2-2:50 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

Resourcing Resilience: A Deliberative Documentary on Long-term Hurricane Recovery in Robeson County

• Tira Beckham, Graduate Student, Department of Forestry, NC State University
• Dr. Laura A. Bray, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Center for Applied Research, University of Oklahoma
• Dr. Bethany B. Cutts, Associate Professor, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, NC State University
• Olivia Vilá, Ph.D. Candidate and Research Assistant, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, NC State University

Researching Perceived Discrimination and Coping Mechanisms

• Irma Bannerman, Student and REACH Fellow, UNCP
• Dr. Abigail Reiter, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, UNC Pembroke

Missing, Murdered, and Abused Indigenous Women

• Crystal Cavalier, Co-founder, Seven Directions of Service and Doctoral Student, University of Dayton
• Aminah Ghaffar (Lumbee/Black), Advocate
• Dr. Brittany D. Hunt, Postdoctoral Associate, Duke University
• Chelsea Locklear, Co-host, The Red Justice Project

Indian Child Welfare “Why”

• Marvel Welch, Co-chair, Indian Child Welfare Committee, North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs

3-3:50 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

Disability Activism and Awareness

• Dr. Ann M. Bennett, Assistant Professor of Educational Research, Department of Secondary and Middle Grades Education, Kennesaw State University

Discrimination Against LGBTQA+ Students and TIXCC Resources and Supportive Measures

• Ronette S. Gerber, Director, Title IX and Clery Compliance, UNCP

4-4:50 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

Bystander Approach: Becoming A Catalyst for Change on Campus

• Cheryl Harris, Outreach Coordinator and Counselor, Counseling and Psychological Services, UNCP
• Ronald Henderson, Student and Hawk Assistant, Counseling and Psychological Services, UNCP
• Matthew Miles, Counselor, Counseling and Psychological Services, UNCP

Wrongful Convictions in the Criminal Legal System

• Rebecca Brown, Director of Policy, The Innocence Project
• Andrew J. Madrigal, Doctoral Student, Criminology, Law, and Society, George Mason University
• Vanessa Meterko, Interim Director of Science and Research, The Innocence Project
• Dr. Robert Norris, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society, George Mason University

My Journey as a Health Disparities Researcher

• Dr. Ronny Bell, Professor of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine

Citizenship on Campus

• Mykayla Brady, Student Service Leader for Student Engagement, Office of Community and Civic Engagement, UNCP
• Joseph Brinkely, Student Service Leader for Civic Engagement, Office of Community and Civic Engagement, UNCP
• Cal Burnette, Student Service Leader for Citizenship, Office of Community and Civic Engagement, UNCP

The Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity (OSID) is committed to advancing equity and inclusion for all community members through intercultural engagement, social justice initiatives, education and student-centered programming. OSID is a department within the Division of Student Affairs. To learn more, follow the department on social media @inclusiveUNCP or visit uncp.edu/osid.