IUP students, faculty, and staff attended the 23rd Annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit, held virtually on January 22 and 23 and sponsored by the Office of Social Equity and Title IX.
The Summit used community dialogue to discuss the importance of critically re-evaluating our respective histories, specifically the impact of white supremacy and how it has caused widespread dehumanization and exploitation throughout global and local history. This event held two panel discussions, the Youth Activism Panel and Radical Art-ivism Panel, in addition to over 20 virtual workshops such as “Anti-racism and Allyship in Academia,” “Dismantling our Weapons of White Supremacy,” and “Sustaining Movements for Change Through Government.”
IUP participation in the event was organized by Nina Minnelli, a senior theater and political science major. Reflecting on her experience of attending the event, she writes, “I found the Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit to be a perfect blend of all my own intersectionality and interests. On the first day of the Summit, I attended the Youth Activism Panel, which featured three young individuals from Pittsburgh who described what they are doing for their communities. It was an inspiration to see how much racial justice means to younger generations and to see the amount of work they have already put in to dismantling white supremacy. Overall, the Summit was able to check me of my privilege and pushed me in the direction of education for myself and others. The knowledge I got from the Summit is something I have tried to incorporate into my own daily practices, as well as passing the knowledge onto my peers and IUP community. Thank you to the Office of Social Equity and Title IX for sponsoring us and giving the opportunity to attend.”