Social Justice, Inclusion and Intersectionality

Bringing the mission to the moment

In his 2017 Arts and Sciences Convocation remarks, Dean David Powers identified how we live the social justice part of our mission and identity today as a priority for the College, as well as Seattle University. He said, “I believe that now is a time to stand more firmly within our mission rather than shy away from it in the face of cultural and political headwinds.”

He continued, “Racism, religious discrimination, sexism, heterosexism and income disparity, these intersectional issues are at the heart of social injustice today. Addressing these issues is central to our mission, and I think we need to avoid the current cultural trap of seeing these issues, and particularly racism only as ‘out there’ and not as ‘in here’.”

As a College, we will be exploring matters of social justice, inclusion, and intersectionality together. This page will be a place where we can share resources and events with one another and highlight some of the ongoing work that faculty and staff have been doing in our College. Everyone is encouraged to submit links to articles and other information and events, both on and off campus, that can help us all learn more.

A multi-ethnic group of Seattle University students

Resources

This section is available to share resources and information that will help us all further our work regarding social justice, inclusion and intersectionality. Please send proposed content to Dr. Sonora Jha and Karen Bystrom.

  • Open letter from Natasha T. Martin, JD, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
  • "Is hate speech free speech?", video, a conversation organized by the Women and Gender Studies Program and sponsored by the Office of the Provost, College of Arts and Sciences, and Matteo Ricci College, 9/26/17
  • Why intersectionality can't wait, Washington Post, 9/24/2015
  • A&S LCIJ Founding Guidelines April 2017, download the Founding Principles and Guidelines of the Arts & Sciences Leadership Committee on Intersectionality and Justice

Committee Members

Students

  • Kevin Le, Psychology, ‘24
  • Joe Njorge, Social Work, ‘23
  • Sreeja Stanam, Psychology, ‘23

Staff

  • Julius Moss, EdD, Program Coordinator, Kinesiology
  • Heather Reis Fike, Executive Coordinator, Dean’s Office
  • Kate Reynolds, Program Coordinator, African and African American Studies, Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies, and Philosophy

Faculty

  • Angelique Davis, JD, Associate Professor, Political Science; Associate Appointment, African and African American Studies, Pre-Law Program, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
  • Hye-Kyung Kang, MSW, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, Director, Master of Social Work
  • Vacant Faculty Position

Dean's Liaisons

  • Sonora Jha, PhD, Professor, Communication and Media, Associate Dean for Academic Community, College of Arts and Sciences, and Dean's Office Committee Liaison
  • Darozyl Touch, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice

Questions about this site?

  • Sonora Jha, PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Community & Professor, Communications, 206.296.5347
  • Karen Bystrom, Director of Marketing & Communications, Arts & Sciences, 206.296.2814
 An Ignatian Witness to Truth: SU’s Mission and Racial Justice
  • November 13, 2017

A group of 55 SU faculty and staff participated in this event, co-sponsored by the Center for Jesuit Education and the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. They shared a robust and productive discussion, which centered around the article and presentation given by Bryan Massingale, Professor at Fordham, who invites us to see the very heart of Jesuit Education as the work of changing consciousness about racial injustice.  The article can be found in the print edition of “Conversations in Jesuit Higher Education” magazine.

Bryan Massingale presented his talk at the Commitment to Justice Conference held at Seattle University in August 2017.  The other conference keynote addresses from Eboo Patel, Founder of the Interfaith Youth Corps, and Simone Campbell, of NETWORK are also available online.

The Cost of Balancing Academia and Racism
  • Jan. 21, 2016, The Atlantic, by Adrienne Green

Researchers say that discrimination at colleges and universities may have negative impacts on black students’ mental health. Read the article.

An African American woman graduating from Seattle University in 2015

Events

This is a space for sharing events that provide additional educational opportunities, both on campus and in the community. All regular on campus events posted on the master calendar will be automatically included. If you would like to submit additional events, send the following to Karen Bystrom.

  • Name of event
  • Date, time
  • Link to more information

Links to the events sponsored by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and Office of Multicultural Affairs are provided as additional content on this page.

The Inclusive Conversations Series

Led and organized by the Leadership Committee on Intersectionality and Justice, the Inclusive Conversations Series for the 2022-23 Academic Year focuses on bell hooks’ Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

Opening Event: January 19th, 2023, 12:30-3:30pm 
Closing Event: May 4, 2023, 12:30-3:30pm

Arts and Sciences Faculty, Staff and Students are invited to register with this link, using the password: LCIJ.

 

Imagining the World: Photography Competition Exhibition

Virtual Galleries

2020

2021: A Retrospective

Events - Office of Diversity & Inclusion