Striving For Restorative Justice and Repair in Academe
Lecture by Timothy Eatman
Professor of Urban Education and Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community, Rutgers University-Newark
with Tanisha Arena and Rose Webster-Smith
How do the legacies of slavery and colonialism continue to constrict possibilities for Black and Indigenous college students and for their communities? What can be done to repair these harms and build a more just future? How does a shrinking imagination in academic work stifle efforts to envision the universities and communities we need?
Educational sociologist and urban education scholar Timothy Eatman will discuss the roles of publicly engaged universities and impassioned educators in the work of reparations. In addition to serving as Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community at Rutgers University, Professor Eatman is a member of the Project H.E.R.E. (Higher Education Reparations Engagement) task force, which serves as “a resource and networking hub for campuses and local communities that are examining their histories, responsibilities, and commitments to restorative justice and repair for the historic and current injustices of slavery and colonialism.” Professor Eatman’s address will be opened by reflections from western Mass grassroots racial and economic justice organizers Tanisha Arena (Executive Director, Arise for Social Justice) and Rose Webster-Smith (Executive Director, Springfield No One Leaves).
View full details and register on the Feinberg Series website
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Dr. Timothy K. Eatman is an educational sociologist, a publicly engaged scholar, and a member of the task force for Project H.E.R.E. (Higher Education Reparations Engagement), which brings together academics and community members to advance the cause of securing reparations for the descendants of slavery and colonialism. He serves as the inaugural dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community and professor of urban education at Rutgers University-Newark.
Tanisha Arena is a Black woman in community leadership as the executive director of ARISE for Social Justice, occupying the world’s messiest intersection, the space where race, gender, culture, identity, politics, history, and the law all collide. She is a commissioner on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, advocating for the needs of women and girls across the Commonwealth. She has a passion for social justice, authentic leadership, and speaking truth to power. She is the host of the award-winning podcast, Unapologetic, bringing the hard truths of our social issues to the forefront, connecting past to the present. She is a consultant/trainer for Growing A New Heart and the Sojourner Truth School, all focused on teaching new ways to build connections, facilitate learning, and drive social change. She is a published author, speaker, freelance writer, system disrupter, and change agent. Her best and favorite role is Gram to Penelope, Jaalan Jr, and the latest addition, Kyle Jr (KJ).
Rose Webster-Smith started with Springfield No One Leaves (SNOL) as a member in 2011 when Freddie Mac foreclosed on her home. Fired up by her own experience of eviction, Rose began training and practicing civil disobedience to keep Big Banks from actively evicting families from their homes after foreclosure. She’s sat in and peacefully blocked two evictions, has helped to organize national mobilizations against mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is spearheading a statewide campaign to pass critical legislation to protect families and regulate banks, and supports other families in using civil disobedience. In 2015, she was hired as the junior organizer at SNOL and in 2016 the members took over the organization. After fighting an eviction for six years, she won her home back in 2017. She is now the executive director overseeing all the work of SNOL.
The 2024-25 Feinberg Series
What Are Universities For? Struggles for the Soul of Higher Education
The 2024-25 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series explores the historical roots of present-day political, economic, and ethical crises in higher education. It is presented by the UMass Amherst Department of History in partnership with numerous co-sponsors. The Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible thanks to the generosity of UMass Amherst history department alumnus Kenneth R. Feinberg ’67 and associates.
Departmental (co)sponsorship of various types of events does not constitute an endorsement of the views expressed by the presenters, either at the events in question or in other venues. Rather, sponsorship is an endorsement of the exploration of complex and sometimes difficult topics. The UMass History Department is committed to promoting the free and peaceful exchange of ideas, one of the most important functions of the university.