Please join us for a citywide dialogue on the legacy of Bayard Rustin and social justice work in changing times. This conference is free and open to the public. 

Please note: Pre-registration is closed.
Friday evening is near capacity, but there will be a waiting list.

For Saturday, there is PLENTY of room; please join us at Lecture Center A1.

Map Link: East Campus Map PDF

Link: Conference Agenda as of March 27, 2012 (PDF)

Friday, March 30th, 2012

6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.                  
Reception, Keynote, Performance
Room 060 (lower level) EPASW building, 1040 W. Harrison St.

UIC welcomes Mandy Carter, Coordinator of the Bayard Rustin Centennial 2012 Project of the National Black Justice Coalition to campus to share her thoughts about Rustin’s legacy as well as Centennial events taking place around the country.

An original performance explores Rustin’s life through uncovered letters composed during his prison stay as a war resister during WWII.  Directed by Megan Carney, Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center, with dramaturgy by Jinna Holt and Nick Loumos, and performances by Luigi Salerno, Maximus Thomas, Jazmin Camarillo, and D.K. Simmons.

A collection of traditional spirituals once recorded by Rustin will be performed live by Anthony McGlaun under the direction of Johari Jabir, Assistant Professor in the Department of African American Studies.

Saturday, March 31st, 2012     
Social Justice Convening and Community Dialogue
Lecture Center A1, East Campus Quad

Lecture Center A1 is walking distance west of the Student Center East building (750 S. Halsted), the UIC/Halsted blue line stop, and the intersection of Harrison and Morgan. There is a link to an East Campus map above to help you plan your arrival.  Signage will be posted.

10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.                    Action in the Tradition of Rustin
                                                           Lecture Center A1, East Campus Quad

• John D’Emilio, Professor in the Department of History and of Gender and Women Studies at UIC and author of Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin, begins the day with an overview of Rustin’s career as an organizer and activist.

11 a.m. – noon                      
Reading Rustin Today
Lecture Center A1, East Campus Quad

Perspectives on Rustin’s legacy. 

• Barbara Ransby, Interim Vice Provost for Planning and Programs and Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, History and African American Studies at UIC
• Lisa Marie Pickens, Co-Founder and Current Board President of Affinity Community Services
• Adam Green, Associate Professor of American History, University of Chicago

12:00 – 1:30p.m.             Lunch & Premiere of Bayard Rustin: Love Out Loud
                                          African-American Cultural Center

A new video documentary looking at manifestations of Rustin’s legacy.

Created by Candice Eloby, MS Candidate in Digital Cinema at DePaul University and produced by Lori Barcliff Baptista, Director of the African American Cultural Center at UIC.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.       Intersectional Coalition Building
                                            Lecture Center A1

Community leaders and change agents identify shared priorities in Chicago today.

• Kim Hunt, Executive Director of Affinity Community Services
• Asucena Lopez& Jasmine Thomas, Fellows from Chicago Freedom School
• Reverend Benjamin Reynolds
• Shari E. Runner, Senior Vice President for Strategy and Community Development at the Chicago Urban League

This conference is organized by the Gender and Sexuality Center at UIC.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy
The Jane Addams College of Social Work
Department of Theatre and Music
Department of African American Studies
Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Blacks
Gender & Women's Studies Department
African-American Cultural Center
Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs
The Honors College
Campus Housing