Who We Are

Zebadiah Hall

Zebadiah Hall, Vice President for Diversoty, Equity and Inclusion

 

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Jessica Nelson, Advisory Board

Affiliation: Culture Gender & Social Justice |
Melissa Alexander

Melissa Alexander, Advisory Board

Affiliation: College of Law | I joined the Social Justice Advisory Board because I believe that working on social justice, and aiding and encouraging other people who do, can help make concrete changes that improve lives. Studying health law exposes the myriad ways that structural inequality undermines health for vulnerable populations. Approaching health policy, practice and laws with humility, respect and solidarity with those impacted, leads to dramatically improved results and a stronger community.
Christi Boggs

Dr. Christi Boggs, Advisory Board

Affiliation: Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning | To me Social Justice is honoring all ways of knowing and being. It is work to create an environment which is safe and supportive and within which the magnificent variety of human experience and difference is celebrated. It also includes ways of being and knowing that are connected to spirituality, the earth, the environment, nature… everything in an interconnected web of beauty. Social Justice includes challenging and breaking down systemic and personal barriers to individuals and groups so that everyone has the ability to realize their own dreams. As an activist and an accomplice it is my responsibility to use my privilege and power where and whenever I can support others in their pursuit of justice
Chelsea Escalante

Dr. Chelsea Escalante, Advisory Board

Affiliation: Department of Modern & Classical Languages | I am an Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics and a co-advisor for UW's chapter of Engineers Without Borders where I help with their service trips to Latin America. To me, social justice is a framework for conceptualizing our collective responsibility in creating opportunities for all members of our human family to thrive. I believe in examining and questioning the structures and systems in place in our world in order to identify groups of people that are systematically dismissed or silenced, and then actively engaging in projects that dismantle oppressive systems and that open the doors for alternative narratives and perspectives. In my research, I study language variation and linguistic diversity and explore how language can be used as a tool of oppression in macro-structures such as labor systems and educational institutions when we value certain ways of speaking over others. In my teaching, I invite my students to think critically about the attitudes we all hold regarding who speaks 'correctly' (and who doesn't), where those attitudes may come from, what real-life consequences await speakers of non-standard varieties (such as denial of educational, labor, housing, or civic opportunities), and what steps we can take in the future to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism in our pursuit of a more just society.
Erin Irick

Dr. Erin Irick, Advisory Board

Affiliation: College of Agriculture & Natural Resources | Social Justice is a primary focus in my personal life as well as professionally. This is why I wanted to join the SJRC advisory board. In my career, I educate and encourage consumers and companies in the apparel and textile industries to make more socially responsible decisions. This includes advocating for fair-trade policies, ethically-produced products and environmentally-sustainable methods, which I believe all fall under the larger umbrella of social justice.
Christine Porter

Dr. Christine Porter, Advisoty Board

Affiliation: College of Health Sciences | Democracy theorist Iris Marion Young notes that “the concepts of domination and oppression, rather than the concept of distribution, should be the starting point for a conception of social justice” (in Justice & the Politics of Difference, p16). Social justice work, then, means working to end the ways our society systematically works against some groups of people according to classifications our society creates and marks as different. As “other.” As “them” and not “us.” The philosopher-activist Cornel West tells us how to do that work when he says that “justice is what love looks like in public” (fabulously on the Colbert Report, 1/18/11). Oppression stems from fear and the hate that grows from fear. Justice (and personal joy) grows when we muster the courage to face our fears (which often manifest as feeling anger, guilt or defensiveness) and to act, instead, out of love. Social justice work gives meaning and purpose to my life. It is my life’s work. Thus, I am grateful that UW has the SJRC to provide a “home” for collaborating on that work within our University.
Reed Scull

Dr. Reed Scull, Advisory Board

Affiliation: College of Education | Social justice is a larger, community-scale state of being, it is a cause, and it is a value. Fair treatment, care for the welfare of others, respect for differences, harmonious relations with neighbors, and the sharing of resources all are ideas consistent with social justices concepts. The opportunity to contribute to these ideas at the university level is why I have joined the Social Justice Research Center advisory board.
Samantha Peter

Samantha Peter, Advisory Board

Affiliation: Libraries Education and Resource Services | Information privilege is something many people in the world struggle with. Whether they do not have internet at home or access to a computer, many do not have equitable and easy access to information. As a librarian, we work to promote social justice through the equal access of information. In my research, I work to promote accessibility within libraries, museums, and archives for people with all types of disabilities, through accessible instruction and resources. I joined the SRJC Advisory board in order to continue to support social justice research on campus through the many different resources we provide at UW Libraries.
Valerie Thompson-Ebanks

Valerie Thompson-Ebanks, Advisory Board

Affiliation: Libraries Education and Resource Services | Information privilege is something many people in the world struggle with. Whether they do not have internet at home or access to a computer, many do not have equitable and easy access to information. As a librarian, we work to promote social justice through the equal access of information. In my research, I work to promote accessibility within libraries, museums, and archives for people with all types of disabilities, through accessible instruction and resources. I joined the SRJC Advisory board in order to continue to support social justice research on campus through the many different resources we provide at UW Libraries.

 






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