“Advocacy in Action” Social Justice Symposium inspires attendees to make change in their communities

Caldwell, N.J., – Some 150 members of the campus community and the wider community gathered for the second annual Caldwell University Social Justice Symposium April 14, with this year’s theme of “Advocacy in Action.” 

“We are so excited to have this opportunity to bring students, staff, faculty, the Sisters and members of the Caldwell community together to have these very important and sometimes difficult conversations about social justice,” said Stephanie Sitnick, Ph.D., lead organizer and associate dean of the School of Psychology and Counseling. “I think many people left feeling empowered and ready to become social justice advocates in their own community.” 

Sitnick said all of the attendees highlighted “how passionate the community is about social justice and how important it is that we continue the mission of the University and empower others to do the same.” 

At the opening forum, Marcia Dukes ’05, a Caldwell alumna and DEI lead executive for MassMutual, shared her experience being an advocate for her daughter, who has a learning disability, and in turn becoming an advocate for other children in her community with learning challenges. “Social justice is a huge conversation … Advocate for those who are different … Figure out what your social justice journey is,” said Dukes.  

Chris Pernell, MD, MPH, FACPM, a physician leader and social change agent, gave the luncheon keynote presentation. Known for her expertise in public health, racial justice and health equity issues, Pernell encouraged the audience to be inspired to be “our better, our higher, our most authentic selves” in order to transform systems. In telling personal stories and national stories—like that of civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer—Pernell encouraged the audience to work to “turn data into stories” and use the stories to advocate for meaningful change. “We must get back to the human experience, the human family,” said Pernell. 

A variety of workshops were offered.  Student volunteer Blessing Odoemena said she was very happy she attended the conference. She attended the forum on “Social Identities and Survival.” “I felt inspired to not care about what people think of me and to identify my identities that I’m proud of. This will make me a better person,” said Odoemena. She also attended the talk on “Using Literature/Writing to Inspire Change.” “They spoke about famous writers such as Charles Dickens and how they used their talent to help humanity,” said Odoemena. 

In addition to Sitnick, the Social Justice Institute faculty and staff committee members who organized the program were Abdul Staten, Tim Kessler-Cleary, Helen McGowan and Stacey Murphy.