The UMD Commission on Equity, Race, and Ethnicity (CERE) will host an event titled the, “2019 UMD Summit on Equity, Race, and Ethnicity: Justice and Equity for All?” on Feb. 27th. The event, which will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., will consist of dozens of workshops hosted at the UMD campus.

The event’s subtitle, “Justice and Equity for All?” raises the question of how or if the country is as fair as some suggest. Julie Kim, who works with the CERE, said that the phrase “allows for reflection and to question whether or not there is truly justice for everyone in this country.”

The summit’s keynote speaker will be Janaya Khan, who is also known as Future. Janaya serves as executive director of Gender Justice Los Angeles and has made a name for themselves working with multi-racial and queer folk on a variety of issues. “Janaya Khan brings an intersectional lens to social justice work that emphasizes working collaboratively across difference.”

The CERE adds that Khan’s achievements and features include, “the 2015 Bromley Armstrong Humanitarian Award, and [being] featured in media outlets, including “The Feminist Wire”, “RaceBaitR”, and “The Root’”.

The workshops portion of the summit makes up a large majority of the event and aims to give participators a wide variety of options for exploring the issues of equity and equality. Julie Kim added that, “the workshops provide diverse learning experiences through either lecture, discussion, music, art, hands on activities, storytelling, and opportunities for people to connect about multiracial experiences, culture, social justice, identity, intersectionality, equity, empowerment and building community.”

Susana Pelayo-Woodward, Photo Courtesy of UMD

The summit also receives support from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), who sponsor the event and often are featured amongst the event’s planning committee. Susana Pelayo-Woodward, Director of ODI, was part of this season’s planning committee. Woodward included that ODI has consistently been involved with the CERE summits and has made a constant effort to help ensure its quality, “Every year we have had staff form ODI in the committee.”

The CERE are looking forward to another learning experience with this year’s summit. Julie Kim had this to say on the CERE’s goal to help educate, “As a commission, we are always learning and growing from diverse perspectives. CERE is devoted to have the annual summit bring awareness, change, and action to promote inclusion and social justice.”

UMD to hold annual summit on equity, race, and ethnicity