Social Justice Initiative | University of Illinois Chicago

In 2020–2021, the U.S. and the world experienced multiple crises and confrontations that have forced us to interrogate basic assumptions and answer difficult questions about who we are as a nation, and where we are headed. In 2021, we launched the Social Justice Portal Project. Through working groups, public programming and artistic offerings, we engaged a large community of thinkers and organizers in exploring the fundamental questions: How do we journey from injustice to justice?

Chicago Justice Gallery

The Chicago Justice Gallery is a unique space where UIC students, staff and faculty along with members of the Chicago community attend social justice focused art exhibitions, documentary films, performances, discussions, and community events.

Justice Lens Film Series

The Justice Lens Film Series is a film and discussion series focused on social justice issues that is free and open to the public. The fifth annual series will take place in February 2025, in honor of Black History Month, with weekly film screenings every Thursday evening in the Chicago Justice Gallery. Click for more info and to RSVP.

Social Justice Minor

The Social Justice Minor is an interdisciplinary program housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Gender and Women’s Studies Program. Students critically explore injustices as well as social movements working to effect positive change within the United States and throughout the world.

Pipeline 2 Justice

The Pipeline to Justice (P2J) award and mentoring program is designed to support community organizers and activists in completing undergraduate degrees at UIC. Since 2012 the P2J program has been an academic conduit for diverse students with non-traditional backgrounds who have a track record of community organizing and commitments to social justice.

Border Crossing Scholarship

The Nesbitt, Carrasco, Unzueta Scholarship in Border Crossing Activism is an award program of the Social Justice Initiative that honors a UIC undergraduate student whose scholarship and community engagement demonstrate a commitment to social justice activism across national boundaries and identities.