Building Bridges, Creating Futures: Community-Led Dialogue & Action

Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
We are living in a moment of deepening divides, systemic rollbacks, and policies that further marginalize communities most impacted by injustice.  This symposium is an invitation to come together, listen and act.

This gathering is a space for bold collaboration, transformative storytelling, and deep dialogue—where community leaders, educators, and advocates come together to co-create pathways toward lasting justice and collective liberation.

What to Expect:

• Conversations that matter – Centering the voices of the people who are directly impacted.
• Powerful storytelling – Honoring lived experiences as tools for connection & transformation
• Deep dialogue & action – Co-creating solutions that shift power and sustain our well-being
• Engaging exhibits – Interactive installations, including the States of Incarceration project

Join us. Bring your voice. Be part of the conversation.

Speakers:

       
Liz Ševčenko
Liz Ševčenko (she/her) is founder and co-director of the Humanities Action Lab.  She was founding director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience and is author of Public Memory for a Post-Truth Era:  Fighting Denial through Memory Movements.

Regina Campbell
Regina Campbell is co-director of Humanities Action Lab, focusing on HAL’s States of Incarceration project and the Rikers Public Memory Project. Regina is a leader in the Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing, strengthening the ecosystem of practitioners who are advancing racial and health equity in their work.

Wilmarie Medina-Cortés
Wilmarie Medina-Cortés (she/ella) is the Associate Director for the Humanities Action Lab, supporting Climates of Inequality and States of Incarceration.  Wilmarie received her M.A. in Museum and Exhibition Studies from the University of Illinois Chicago and is a co-chair of the Climate Committee for the Puerto Rican Agenda Chicago.

Leora Fuller
Leora Fuller is the Learning and Coalition Facilitator for the Humanities Action Lab. She teaches “Newark Community Activism: Mutual Aid Storytelling & Sharing” at Rutgers-Newark and is developing a Newark community-run Free School with local organizers. Her classrooms utilize creative, consensus-based, and nonhierarchical approaches.

Lauren de Jesus
Lauren de Jesus is Senior Civic Engagement Educator at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center. She grew up volunteering in her community on the Northwest side and exploring Chicago’s museums.  She received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.A. in Museum and Exhibition Studies from UIC.

Eboné M. Lockett
Eboné M. Lockett, award-winning educational leader and humanitarian, champions sustainable, community-driven change through a holistic approach to research, learning, and development. As Founder/CEO of Harvesting Humanity LLC and Board Chair of Rosa Parks Farmers Market, she fosters inclusive spaces that benefit both people and the planet, locally and globally.

Valerie Johnson
Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson is Co-Director of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network experienced in connecting undergraduate and graduate students, especially at HBCUs, with community-engaged work on health equity and environmental justice. She promotes public participation in science research as a board member for the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences.

Ted Lentz
Ted Lentz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams, community organizations, and government agencies to translate research into actionable insights. Beyond research, Ted is an award-winning educator who integrates experiential learning, team-based collaboration, and real-world data analysis into his courses.

Shannon Ross
Shannon Ross is the CEO/Founder of The Community, which employs deep in-reach and outreach to help bring society and the system-impacted community exactly where they need each other to be. Since his release in 2020, after 17 years in prison, Shannon has become a Founding Partner of Paradigm Shyft, a Multidimensional Justice Solutions firm; consultant with Marquette University’s Higher Education in Prison program; and earned a Masters in Sustainable Peacebuilding from UW- Milwaukee.