Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research Hosts Launch Event

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Last week, the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research hosted “Black at the Center,” a virtual conference.

The event, which was open to the community, sought to engage a broad audience across the nation and locally with respect to racial justice.

UMass Amherst’s Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research (CRJ) centers Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in the work of racial and educational justice.

Organized by directors, Keisha Green, assistant professor of teacher education and school improvement, and Jamila Lyiscott, assistant professor of social justice education, “Black at the Center” was a launch event for the CRJ.  

Spanning from Wednesday, April 21 through Friday, April 23, each day began with a “Turn up!” session from DJ Faro and included talks from activists and experts, a live cooking demonstration, a hip-hop meditation workshop, an interactive story-game for BIPOC youth and more.

On the event’s success, Lyiscott says, “‘Black at the Center’ was a turn-up, a testimony, and a launch to remember as we kicked off the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research here at UMass Amherst. Our live DJ, racial healing workshops, white-co-conspirators workshop, wellness mediations, youth panel, live cooking for food justice, and open mic were just a taste of the joy and genius of Black and Brown communities that we will continue to center at the Center! We were joined by hundreds of people nationally and internationally to champion our commitment to dismantling white supremacy and fighting towards collective liberation.”

The opening session and other videos from the “Black at the Center” sessions can be found on the CRJ Facebook page.