“From the Roots to the Sky: Women, Organizing and Social Justice,” UB’s inaugural Women’s History Month symposium, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 1 in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus.

It is sponsored by the Office of Inclusive Excellence, Cora P. Maloney Center and the Gender Institute.

The symposium, which is free of charge and open to UB faculty, staff, students and community members of all genders, will include a plenary panel on activism, a keynote address on social justice, and two workshops on organizing and self-care.

“Our inaugural Women’s History Month symposium supports UB’s commitment to fostering an inclusive environment by acknowledging and honoring women’s contributions as social justice advocates and community organizers,” says event co-chair Jacqueline Hollins, associate vice provost for inclusion and student success in the Office of Academic Affairs. “The symposium provides the campus an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the important ways that women who are representative of alumna, current students, staff, faculty and the community are advocating for and creating positive change for a more just and equitable society.”

Hollins notes that attendees should leave the symposium “with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the many ways in which they can become personally involved with advancing social justice in their communities.”

The symposium will open with a plenary panel, “Women, Organizing and Social Justice,” featuring Karima Amin, executive director, Prisoners Are People Too Inc; Louisa Fletcher-Pacheco, regional political organizer, New York State United Teachers; Anyango Kamina, assistant dean for student development and academic enhancement, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and Yaide Valdez, a UB student and executive director, Student Voices at the SUNY Student Assembly.

The keynote address, “Inspiring Inclusion through Identity and Intersectionality,” will be presented by Patrice Funderburg, executive director of the Center for Community Transitions. CCT is a Charlotte-based nonprofit that creates reentry pathways for the justice-involved population through employment and training, social emotional wellness and supporting alternatives to incarceration.

Other symposium sessions will be led by Rahwa Ghirmatzion, senior policy fellow, Just Solutions Collective (“A Journey in Divine Purpose, Service, and Legacy”) and Amani Johnson, a psychologist, student of color specialist and DEI coordinator, UB Counseling Services (“Prioritizing Self Compassion for Women”).

More information on the symposium schedule and presenters can be found on the symposium’s website.

Those wishing to attend who haven’t already registered can send an email to vpix@buffalo.edu; lunch is included, so any dietary restrictions should be noted in the email.