Annual Anti-Racism Symposium Highlights Hope

Guest speaker confronts history, tells participants they can create change by ‘planting seeds’

Guest speaker Kayon Morgan told more than 100 social work professionals, policy makers, faculty members, students and others at Sacred Heart University’s third annual anti-racism symposium that they can plant seeds to create change.

SHU’s School of Social Work and Ph.D. in social work program students hosted the day-long symposium, “Creating Anti-Racist Solutions: Planting Seeds of Justice.” The yearly event is designed to inspire change within institutions of higher education, community-based organizations and communities.

Morgan’s keynote address preceded several breakout sessions led by faculty, policy experts, practitioners, advocates and mental health experts. The forum took place in SHU’s East Theatre at West Campus, with participants also attending remotely.

Morgan, assistant professor in educational leadership for social justice at the University of Hartford, is a scholar, practitioner and leader. Her teaching, research and leadership focus on advancing spaces, systems and policies to better serve historically marginalized populations.

In her speech, “The Magnolia Effect: Growing Justice & Truth,” Morgan highlighted the need to plant seeds that eventually lead to change. She displayed an image of a magnolia tree and said it represents perseverance, healing and beauty.

Truth and justice go hand in hand, Morgan told her audience. “We’re going to activate our passion for justice by talking about some hard truths and confronting some hard history,” she said, pointing out that James Madison’s home, a famous tourist attraction in Virginia, was built by enslaved children. “That’s hard history.”

Morgan also discussed a Theodore Roosevelt statue in New York City that was removed because it depicted a racist hierarchy. “We have to co-exist with the past to inform our future,” she suggested.

One way society can confront hard history is by examining practices and policies embedded in racism. Morgan said by asking why, digging deep to understand policy and practice, people can cultivate a shared understanding.

As she spoke about being non-complicit to racism, she revisited the magnolia tree image and said people are planting seeds when they reject injustices and promote learning. While these actions may not produce immediate change, “Something is going to come forth,” she said, adding, “You can be reassured that we started the process.”

After an engaging question-and-answer period, participants attended breakout sessions and workshops and enjoyed a full day of learning. Inspired by hope for change and progress, organizers are already planning next year’s symposium.

“We stand at a critical juncture where we can plant the seeds of justice and nurture them into powerful movements of change,” said Nubian Sun, director of the Ph.D. in social work program. “Let us seize this opportunity with passion and conviction, fully committed to realizing the vision of an anti-racist world.”