Centering Justice Symposia

The annual Centering Justice symposia bring together academic centers committed to climate and environmental justice, EJ and CJ leaders, community-based organizations, and relevant funders from across the country. Our symposium is committed to advancing the important role of equitable partnerships in uplifting and supporting the needs of environmental justice communities. Over the course of these three-day events, participants share their experiences and lessons learned regarding building equitable partnerships across diverse sectors, engaging in critical conversations, and strategy-building on how academic centers and philanthropy can best support EJ and CJ communities. The thematic focus, agenda, and speakers of each annual symposium respond to the needs and challenges of the particular context in which it takes place, foregrounding the voices and perspectives of local communities.

 
 
 

  • The 2024 Centering Justice Symposium brought together climate and EJ leaders and organizations, allied academic institutions, and relevant philanthropists to explore how higher education can better align with movements and advance just partnerships. During this two-and-a-half day event, rich discussion foregrounded EJ community voices to explore and codify the role that EJ and climate justice-focused university centers, and to an extent philanthropy and government, should play in supporting environmental justice—particularly in that particular moment of historic federal EJ and climate-focused investments.

    This cross-section of representatives, whose work intersects with environmental justice, were encouraged to embrace collaboration, try out new mindsets and, ultimately, worked to set a collective, ongoing agenda. People from across sectors embraced their roles as Activators, Weavers and Rule Benders. Conversations centered on common barriers, needed reforms, partnership and funding opportunities, best practices, and guiding principles.

    Some participants called for a Manifesto to center justice, the core of which was synthesized into three salient areas for action: Establish just, equitable, transparent, and accountable resource sharing; ensure internal assessment and accountability systems within universities; and create an ongoing community of practice with trusted university centers and EJ partners which sets a high standard for academic-community partnerships.

  • The 2024 Centering Justice Symposium included the following sessions:

    • Context Setting: The Journey Toward Justice and What Needs Activation

    • Mutuality, Movements, and Momentum: The Role of Research Centers

    • Meaningful Partnerships: Needs, Hurdles, and Best Practices

    • Critical and Emerging Environmental and Climate Justice Issues Ripe for Disruption

    • ACTIVATE: Doing Different Things and Doing Things Differently

    • CENTERING JUSTICE: Keynote Address by Dr. Beverly Wright Followed by A Conversation with Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome

    • Money Matters: The Power of Justice-Centered Partnerships

    • Enduring Partnerships: Laying the Groundwork and Changing the Rules

    • OPERATIONALIZE, SOCIALIZE, SYNTHESIZE: Opportunities and Best Practiceson text goes here

Read the Manifesto
read the ej article on centering justice
Frontline Solutions Summary Report
 
 

  • Building on the inaugural Centering Justice Symposium in 2024, the second Centering Justice Symposium was hosted in March 2025 in Tucson, Arizona in partnership with the Indigenous Resilience Center at the University of Arizona. This Symposium brought together multi-sectoral partners to continue exploring how higher education can better align with movements, ultimately advancing more just and effective partnerships. This gathering focused on the needs of Native Nations and frontline communities, centering cultural grounding and connection-building. 

    This second Centering Justice Symposium highlighted how rapidly shifting political contexts—and related attacks on EJ communities—call on academics and intermediaries to be able to quickly respond to the emergent needs of their community partners. In this time of escalating political threats, academic institutions and centers should stand ready to provide capacity, support and technical assistance, accompanying them and collaborating in new and innovative ways.  

    The three-day event drove home the importance of solidarity and collective action, with four clear calls for the coming year:

    1) strengthening local, place-based work and community building;

    2) building multi-sectoral partnerships, opportunities for collaboration, and centralized resource hubs;

    3) holding ourselves accountable to the movement and our partners; and

    4) creatively reimagining what is possible.

  • The 2025 Centering Justice Symposium included the following sessions:

    • Community Visit to San Xavier Del Bac and San Xavier Cooperative Farm, Tohono O’odham Nation

    • Opening Blessings and Cultural Ceremonies

    • Manifesting the Manifesto: Centering Justice in a New Political Context

    • Honoring of Environmental Justice Leaders

    • Centering Partner Priorities: Building & Protecting Wins

    • Protecting Communities, Defending Investments & Collaboratives

    • Organizing for the Future: Discussion Tables & Collective Action

    • How to Resource Courageous & Impactful Partnerships for Climate Justice

NOTES SUMMARY
 
 
 
 

For more information, please contact Susan Austin: AustinS@newschool.edu

 
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