Freedom Fridays 1
May 9, 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location
Chicago Justice Gallery
Address
1344 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607
Cost
FREE
Calendar
Download iCal FileThe Social Justice Initiative at UIC invites faculty and supporters to discuss the current crisis in higher education at the Chicago Justice Gallery in this focused discussion series.
On Friday, May 9, join SJI and faculty colleagues for our first Freedom Fridays discussion session. Space is limited, please RSVP at go.uic.edu/FreedomFridays
The Chicago Justice Gallery is wheelchair accessible. For additional accessibility questions, contact SJIChicago@uic.edu.
TOPIC: Will Colleges and Universities of the Future Resemble Jim Crow Schools of the Past? What is happening and how are educators responding?
The assault on higher education in the last few months has come from all angles. An attack on diversity programs has been central. This effort to roll back progress on racial justice in higher education goes back to earlier attacks on Critical Race theory that began in 2021.
What are the implications for our students, colleagues and curricula? Some seem to want us to go back to the bad old days of a Jim Crow educational system.
DEI programs were imperfect in many ways, but the attacks on them are harmful, dangerous and corrosive. Join us in a discussion of the newest developments and how universities are responding
FEATURING:
Q&A with Daarel Burnette II, a senior editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education. Before joining The Chronicle in 2022, he served as an assistant managing editor and reporter for Education Week and the bureau chief of Chalkbeat Tennessee, a start-up news organization based in Memphis. He has worked as an education reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the Louisville Courier Journal. He also worked as a general-assignment reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He received his undergraduate degree in print journalism from Hampton University and a master’s degree in politics and journalism from Columbia University. Follow him on Twitter @Daarel or get in touch at daarel.burnette@chronicle.com.
SUGGESTED READING:
AAUP Report: "Critical Race Theory and the Assault on Antiracist Thinking" by Rana Jaleel
The Chronicle of Higher Education: "The Dismantling of DEI"
The New York Times: "Some Schools Act After Trump's D.E.I. Orders. Others Say They'll Resist." by Sharon Otterman, Anemona Hartocollis, and Dana Goldstein
The New York Times: "Harvard, Under Pressure, Revamps D.E.I. Office" by Stephanie Saul
Date posted
May 5, 2025
Date updated
May 6, 2025