Building solidarities is the theme of the ninth annual Niagara Social Justice Forum happening Saturday at Brock University.<\/p>\n
The event will bring together 30 community organizations along with scholars, activists and citizens for a day of sharing knowledge and building relationships.<\/p>\n
The MA Program in Social Justice and Equity Studies and the Social Justice Research Institute will host the annual event, planned by graduate students and faculty members.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents in the SJES program are always looking outward in an attempt to create tangible impacts within our communities,\u201d explains Carissa Taylor, currently pursuing her degree in the program. \u201cThe Niagara Social Justice Forum gives us the opportunity to focus our passion for social justice into an event that will leave a lasting impression on the community, even if we ourselves do not stay here after graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 200 people are expected to attend the forum.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople return from year to year because they value the\u00a0chance to learn about social justice issues and connect with others in a festive atmosphere,”\u00a0says Mary-Beth Raddon, Graduate Program Director in the MA in Social Justice and Equity Studies.<\/p>\n
Among those returning this year are three graduates of the MA in Social Justice and Equity Studies\u2014Cristina Murano, Tomee Sojourner, and Jodielynn Harrison\u2014who will each run one of the Forum\u2019s 12 workshops.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 3, in the lead-up to the main event, the Forum will co-sponsor a screening of Avi Lewis\u2019s new documentary, This Changes Everything<\/em>, at the Brock University Film Series<\/a> (BUFS).<\/p>\n