GLOBAL IMPACTS
The five Global Convenings mounted by the ACSJL were legendary. We brought together public intellectuals, activists, artists, and social justice movement leaders from our campus, our region, the nation, and the globe to plot strategies and solutions to our world’s most entrenched systemic injustices. We also wanted to amplify the great work of those already forging a more just world. In all, we had approximately 700 attendees. Some of the most well-known attendees included Jon Stryker, Angela Davis, Naomi Klein, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Robin D.G. Kelley, Gloria Rolando, Ashley Hunt, Charlene Carruthers, Phillip Agnew, Dara Cooper, Nikky Finney, Willie Kgositsile, Daniel Lee Beaty, and more. Please see concepts, participant lists, evaluations, videos, and comments below for the multitude of ways that our Convenings made an impact.
Global Engagement Map
Global Prize 2013
Global Prize 2015
The connections made between global visitors and students are too numerous to mention in this study. Here are two student stories.
Justin Danzy, K’16, connected with 2015 Global Prize for Transformative Social Justice Leadership finalist Silas Babaluku, executive director of Bavubuka, a music organization that uses Indigenous language hip hop to teach pride and self-empowerment among youth in Kampala, Uganda. Justin and Silas kept in touch and Justin went on to win the Davis Peace Prize with the intention of gifting the funds so that Bavubuka could buy land. In summer 2017, Justin visited Silas and delivered the $10,000. They did buy land. In addition, Bwette Daniel Gilbert, the youth archivist of Bavubuka, has maintained strong ties with the ACSJL and has contributed his skills to our podcast team.
"While volunteering at the 2014 With/Out ¿Borders? Conference, I was introduced to a Northern Irish artist and activist named Conor McGrady. He informed me about the history of Irish colonization and anti-Catholic state violence committed by the British Empire. Conor told me how Northern Irish activists took inspiration from the Black Panther Party to resist the British occupation of Northern Ireland. This was a life-changing experience for me because it fundamentally altered my understanding of the history of race and racism. It made me realize how varying racial and colonial hierarchies exist outside of the American paradigm. This experience encouraged me to travel around the world, including to Ireland, and expand my knowledge of global issues and experiences."
— Sarah Anita Ghans, K’15
With/Out - ¿Borders? 2014
The ACSJL hosted Guillermo Gómez-Peña twice. On both occasions, the Center collaborated with the Theater Arts Department and Adriana Garriga-López of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. In 2012, his mentorship of Latinx students of Mexican heritage was transformative for them, and his performance at the 2014 With/Out ¿Borders? Conference was spectacular.
With/Out - ¿Borders? 2016
WOBS 2016 Plenaries
With/Out - ¿Borders? 2018:
Toward a Futureland
In Solidarity
Gay McDougall is an ACSJL Global Board Member. She is a world-renowned human rights lawyer who works globally for minorities, women, and victims of racial abuses. She has spearheaded work at the United Nations, she teaches at law schools around the world, and after leading national anti-apartheid campaigns in the US, she was invited to be lead coordinator of South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994. Here she is pictured with Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça Machel.
Independent Filmmaker Catherine Murphy showed her award-winning film Maestra, which documents the revolution-time Cuban Literacy Campaign.
“I was very honored to be invited to the Arcus Center in 2016 to present my documentary film MAESTRA, which documents the Cuban Literacy Campaign, at the beginning of their revolution. The screening itself was followed by a campus and community dialogue about literacy and social justice education, that was a rich intersectional multiracial multi-generational collective discussion about what the US can learn from experiences in other countries—like Cuba!—and about how our own justice movement education efforts are far too often invisibilized. The additional days I spent at Arcus were inspiring, nourishing and deeply important to me as a justice-oriented filmmaker! Dr. Brock took the time to introduce me to staff and students at Arcus and learn about their collaborative work. I have kept in touch with some of these Scholar activists, and continue to learn from them! I also had the great fortune of overlapping with the visit to Arcus by leading AfroCuban woman filmmaker Gloria Rolando. Arcus provided/provides fertile ground for we artists, activists, scholars and organizers to gather together, dream, talk, and work together to create the world of justice and solidarity. “
— Catherine Murphy, Founder/ Director, The Literacy Project
ACSJL Hosted the African Solidarity Conference, Summer 2013
”US-Africa Solidarity in the 21st Century: A Strategic Discussion was hosted by the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, in collaboration with Western Michigan University from June 2–24, 2013. (It was funded by the MacArthur Foundation.) This meeting led to new relationships with active programs on climate justice, leading to an African climate justice tour, a conference at Howard University, and work with African Organizations on illicit financial flows. “
— William (Bill) Minter, African Solidarity Activist, Africa Focus, No Easy Victories
What People are Saying
“Issues of land, displacement, divestment, militarism and the prison industrial complex were prevalent to me in many sessions and the plenaries. The thread of Palestine popped up in the plenaries and people's presentations. Structural divestment re: Cities in Revolt and structural investment in punishment, militarism and policing re: Racial Profiling Think Tank, Cities in Revolt, Palestine plenary and the Borders session at the Arcus center felt complementary to each other. I appreciated a day to discuss policing because this often gets overlooked as the entry point/apparatus of social control that sends people to prison.”
“I truly enjoyed the plenaries and films”
“I've sent a separate document describing some of the synergies and connections that I and my international collaborator experienced.”
“I made connections with people doing social justice work in South Africa, Detroit, Chicago and Kalamazoo. Those conversations were valuable to me.”
“I loved the plenariess and also just the gathering of so many incredible people here on campus was so good to see. There were good conversations happening all weekend and the overall energy or celebration was something that I think rebooted a lot of people’s fire to keep think and working towards this better world.”
“Interactions and discussions with young(er) participants/students was exciting. Re-connected with old alliances...”
“I connected with youth from Ferguson as well as elder activists in the organizing community”
“Improved links between K and Njala University, Sierra Leone in the development of ICT.”
“I am not a faculty person or activist, so no partnerships formed, but the ideas gained were very worthwhile.”
“Met and interacted with people leading and participating in restorative justice movements”
“Connection: Zainab Ahmadahy whose work is in support of social justice and activism at the intersection of the spiritual/scientific, women's and first nation's movements.”
“So many—too many to count—this was a very special opportunity to connect with people and I came out of it with at least 3 or 4 relationships strengthened”
“It was most useful for feeding and deepening my commitment to social movement work, moreso than any new tools or relationships.”
“The plenaries were wonderful—particularly Afrofutursim. I loved having everyone there for the full conference and the structure worked well to facilitate relationship building”
“Made important connections with individuals. also gained much greater sense of theoretical/intellectual connections.”
“Great connections with activists from Detroit and Cleveland and from the Douglass community, race and economic rights are so close to our struggles in SA.”
“Physically and spatially, it was an open, attractive, inviting and healthy space. Conceptually and programmatically, it was innovative, willing to learn from and engage others critically, enabling and networking, and connected to leading activist thinkers. I found that educational and developmental. How i wish many more universities have such spaces.”
— Mazibuko K. Jara, SA, Futureland Participant, 2018
“Connected with Chicago- and Ann Arbor-based poets.”
“Seeing Angela Davis at GGP was a thrill!”
“The plenaries were fantastic”
“I really enjoyed the plenary sessions. They far exceeded my expectations in terms of generating true dialogue between participants”
“Engagements with Social Justice Centers in Ohio and Johannesburg SA. As well as synergies with other visual artists around the globe, South Carolina, Cuba, Chicago, etc.”