Social Justice Advocates Talk Racial Justice in Education, Criminal Justice and Politics

Social justice advocates spotlighted attacks on education and emphasized inequalities in the criminal justice system at a panel Georgetown University’s Racial Justice Institute hosted on April 15. The institute, an interdisciplinary research hub focused on creating and inspiring racial justice, coordinated the panel as the final installment of a four-part series of discussions titled “Advancing Racial Justice in the Storm.” The series aimed to inspire deeper thought and scholarship on the path to racial justice and the building of a truly representative democracy through discussions of education, family autonomy, well-being and voting rights. Nicole Austin-Hillery, president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation – a nonprofit that seeks to advance the Black community through education, policy, research and leadership development – moderated the event, opening the conversation by recalling a quote about the importance of fearlessness when discussing race. “I remember that former Attorney General Eric Holder said that when it comes to issues of race, we’re a nation of cowards,” Austin-Hillery said at the event. “I saw it as a motivating statement to say to us that it is okay, and we should not be afraid to have these conversations, and that we should not be afraid to...