The Social Justice Institute presents meaningful events where students, scholars and community members gather together to tap into our individual and collective psyches and souls, hearts and minds, knowledge and networks of support, and dare to draw forth the words, analyses, strategies and actions that respect and uplift human dignity and life. We are honored to provide distinctive educational opportunities – and we invite you to join us and become partners in our work.
Yes! I'm coming to an SJI event!
Collateral Costs: Incarceration's Effects on Economic Mobility
- Date and Time: Tuesday, November 6, 6-8:00 pm
- Location: Mandel Community Studies Center, 11402 Bellflower Rd.
Crystal Bryant (Director of the Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry), Damian Calvert (Project Coordinator/Outreach, Community Relations Board, City of Cleveland), Bishara Addison (Towards Employment) and Peter Truog (Director of Civic Innovation & Insight at The Fund for our Economic Future) will join Tim Black, Co-director of SJI, to discuss the hidden costs and long-term economic implications of incarceration. Free and open to the community. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Montaña de Luz: Transforming HIV/AIDS Care in Honduras
- Date and Time: Friday, November 9, 12:45-2 pm
- Location: Tinkham Veale University Center, 11038 Bellflower Road
Montaña de Luz began as a hospice for children in Honduras, home to 60% of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Central America. Today, thanks to the availability of anti-retroviral medications and new treatment philosophies, the “mountain of light” is transforming from an orphanage to a family-based model of HIV care. By reducing barriers (health literacy, stigma, transportation and medical co-pays), children remain at home to live healthy, happy lives – at a fifth of the cost of a traditional orphanage system.
In addition, Montaña de Luz is committed to leading systemic changes in the community – reintegration and reunification of families, increasing adherence by impacted children and adults to medication regimens, and centering local voices to determine the organization’s future.
Join Morgan Brown, Executive Director of Montaña de Luz, and Keiffer Erdmann, a Youth Across Borders ambassador, to discuss this cutting-edge model for care transformation and to be inspired by their unique vision of health justice work. Learn more about opportunities for in-country research, assisting with the creation of best practice models, and volunteering at home and abroad.
This event is free and open to the community. A light lunch will be served. Registration is required to socialjustice@case.edu.
A Celebration of Poetry, Art & Music: A Benefit for HOLA
Co-sponsored by La Alianza
- Date and Time: Friday, November 16, 6-8 pm
- Location: Hovorka Atrium, Agnes Pytte Science Center, 2080 Adelbert Road
Join SJI and La Alianza for a celebration of poetry, art, and music to raise money for HOLA Ohio, a grassroots organization that focuses on community organizing, leadership development, civic engagement and immigration reform. Students, faculty and staff who would like to recite a poem, sing a song or offer commentary on a piece of art that speaks to them are welcome to participate; contact John Flores to volunteer. Help us build a social justice community in support of HOLA. Coffee, tea, and light desserts will be provided.
$5 minimum donation; purchase tickets at the door with cash/check or pre-register through Campus Groups.
Immigration Justice Book Club - Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move
- Date and Time: Tuesday, November 20, 7-8:30 pm
- Location: Forest Hill Presbyterian Church, 3031 Monticello Blvd.
The first meeting of the Immigration Justice Book Club will feature a discussion of Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move, by Reece Jones. The club is open to everyone who genuinely and empathetically wants to learn more about immigration and seeks to bring people together from across the immigrant rights community. John Flores, SJI Co-director and an immigration historian, will deliver brief remarks, answer questions and lead a discussion.
Subsidized transportation for CWRU students to the church is available.
Free and open to the community. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Don't Get Sick After June: American Indian Healthcare - Documentary Film and Discussion
Co-sponsored by the CWRU School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs
- Date and Time: Tuesday, November 27, 12-1:30 pm
- Location: Robbins Building, E401, 2210 Circle Drive
This documentary presents a troubling portrait - and indictment - of the U.S. government's dismal failure to provide health care in fulfillment of federal treaty and trustee obligations with American Indian nations. Bringing forth an important voice in the national dialogue on health justice, the film reveals powerful images and stories from some of the vulnerable communities in Indian Country, provides historical evidence of just how poorly health care services have been funded and managed, and offers a critical look at the alarming increase in negative health outcomes as food commodities have supplanted traditional Native diets. Free and open to the community. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Reflections of a Resolute Radical: A Community Conversation and Book Signing with Don Freeman
- Date and Time: Wednesday, November 28, 6:30-8:30 pm
- Location: Linsalata Alumni Center, 11310 Juniper Road
Join us as activist, author, editor and scholar Don Freeman (CWR '61) reads from and discusses his autobiography, Reflections of a Resolute Radical. A lifelong Cleveland resident and graduate of Glenville High School and Case Western Reserve University, Don will share thoughts about the civil rights movement, the rise of radicalism, and the community's responses to both. Free and open to the community; a light reception will follow. Reservations requested to socialjustice@case.edu.
Followers in a Leaderless Movement: An Intersectional Analysis of the Occupy Wall Street Movement
Social Justice Research Lunch Series
- Date and Time: Tuesday, December 4, 11:30 am-12:45 pm
- Location: Crawford Hall, Room A13, 10900 Euclid Avenue
Even in contemporary "leaderless" social movements, leadership is an interactional, gendered, and intersectional process, shaped by follower feedback. Heather McKee Hurwitz, a full time lecturer in sociology, will analyze the Occupy Wall Street movement through this complex lens. Bring a lunch; drinks and dessert provided. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Returned Citizens - Personal Reflections at the Prison Nation Exhibit
- Date and Time: Thursday, December 6, 6-7:30 pm
- Location: Martin Luther King, Jr., Library, 1962 Stokes Blvd.
How can images tell the story of mass incarceration when the imprisoned don't have control over their own representation? This question is at the core of Prison Nation, a powerful exhibition curated by Aperture Magazine that addresses the unique role photography plays in creating a visual record of this crisis, using both historical pictures and contemporary digital work. Local returned citizens (individuals who were formerly incarcerated) will speak on a panel about their experiences and their response to the empathy, awareness and political action essential to creating systemic change. Free and open to the community. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
This is one of many events surrounding the exhibit - click here to see more community events.
THIRTY: Exploring Artistically the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Exhibit Opening and Reception
Co-sponsored by the Kelvin Smith Library
- Date and Time: Thursday, January 24, 4:30-6 pm
- Location: Kelvin Smith Library, 11055 Euclid Avenue
The students of Facing History New Tech High School (a Cleveland public school) worked with artist Jason Labovitz to create this powerful collection of digital compositions exploring the thirty articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The compelling images and texts investigate the juxtaposition of human and educational rights with physical visual manifestations of those rights. Timothy Webster, associate professor of law, will share the history of the Declaration, and both students and the artist will discuss the creation of the exhibit. A light reception will follow. Free and open to the community. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Draw the Circle Wide: Celebrating Transgender and Gender Expansive Students in Music Learning Environments
Social Justice Research Lunch Series
- Date and Time: Tuesday, January 29, 11:30 am-12:45 pm
- Location: Crawford Hall, Room A13, 10900 Euclid Avenue
A critical conversation about creating equal access to ethically and pedagogically sound education for trans and gender expansive students with Matthew Garrett, associate professor of music. Bring a lunch; drinks and dessert provided. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Social Justice Teach-In
Co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning and IRTF
- Date and Time: Saturday, February 9, 11:00 am-3:15 pm
- Location: Tinkham Veale University Center, 11038 Bellflower Road
Join hundreds of students and community members for a deep examination of justice work -locally, nationally and internationally. In addition to an inspiring keynote address, participants will choose individual workshops on diverse topics to attend.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
U.N. World Social Justice Day
Co-sponsored by the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence and the Kelvin Smith Library
- Date and Time: Wednesday, February 20, 6:30-8 pm
- Location: Kelvin Smith Library, 11055 Euclid Avenue
In conjunction with the powerful Thirty art exhibit, our annual event to commemorate the United Nations World Social Justice Day will feature a keynote address focused on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A light reception will follow.
The "Tiny Horrors" of Cultural Genocide: Indigenous Children in Residential and Boarding Schools, 1870-1970
Social Justice Research Lunch Series
- Date and Time: Tuesday, February 26, 11:30 am-12:45 pm
- Location: Crawford Hall, Room A13, 10900 Euclid Avenue
Susan Dominguez, SAGES teaching fellow, will discuss the century of North American federal policy that ripped children from families and inflicted tortuous cruelties for years at a time, creating conditions of PTSD and genetically embedded intergenerational trauma. Bring a lunch; drinks and dessert provided. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Embedded Activism: Changing Foster Care from the Inside Out for LGBTQ2S Youth
Social Justice Research Lunch Series
- Date and Time: Tuesday, March 26, 11:30 am-12:45 pm
- Location: Crawford Hall, Room A13, 10900 Euclid Avenue
Dana Prince (MSASS assistant professor) and Sonia Emerson (project coordinator of Affirm Me) lead a dialogue about opportunities, barriers and effective strategies for effecting social change for LGBTQ2S (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Two-Spirit) youth within the public child welfare system. Bring your lunch; drinks and dessert provided. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
Mankiller: A Documentary and Discussion with Filmmaker Valerie Red-Horse Mohl
Co-sponsored with the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, LGBT Center, Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, Ellipsis Institute for Women of Color in the Academy, Lake Erie Native American Council and YWCA Greater Cleveland
- Date and Time: Tuesday, March 26, 6-8:30 pm
- Location: Tinkham Veale University Center, 11038 Bellflower Rd.
Wilma Mankiller was an activist, feminist and Cherokee Chief, a woman who humbly defied the odds to fight injustice and give a voice to the voiceless. She overcame rampant sexism and personal challenges to emerge as the Cherokee Nation’s first female Principal Chief in 1985. Mankiller reminds audiences of the true meaning of servant leadership and serves as a wake up call to take action for positive change.
Director and producer Valerie Red-Horse Mohl (Cherokee) will speak following the screening, examining the legacy of Mankiller’s formidable life, discussing her work as the preeminent collaborator with American Indian tribal nations bringing Native stories to the screen, and contemplating the critical roles of women in leadership.
Free and open to the community; light refreshments will be served. Reservations requested.
I’m a pretty ordinary person given an opportunity to do extraordinary things in my life.
—Wilma Mankiller, Cherokee Chief, 1985-1995
Using Photovoice to Capture Diverse Experiences of Cleveland's Opiod Crisis
Social Justice Research Lunch Series
- Date and Time: Tuesday, April 16, 11:30 am-12:45 pm
- Location: Crawford Hall, Room A13, 10900 Euclid Avenue
SJI Research Fellows Lee Hoffer (associate professor, anthropology) and Allison Schlosser present findings from a visual participatory action research project that combines media studies, interviewing and photography to give voice to people who use opioids. Bring your lunch; drinks and dessert provided. RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.
About Our Events
The majority of our events are free of charge and open to the community. We cannot do this important work without you – we hope that you will consider supporting us in these endeavors. Gifts of any size will impact our work and support our signature programs. Donations may be made online or sent to Social Justice Institute, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106-7243.
To RSVP or volunteer for any upcoming event, please call 216.368.7568 or email socialjustice@case.edu.