Social Justice Initiatives
Social Justice Fall Break Trip
2024: “On the Civil Rights Trail…from UMW to Selma, AL”
CANCELLED
The James Farmer Multicultural Center is sponsoring a social justice trip to Montgomery and Selma, AL. This journey will include stops at various historical civil rights sites, including Rock Hill, SC, where the 1961 Freedom Riders first experienced brutal violence for testing the segregation laws in the state of SC, as well the site of the 1960 McCrory’s Five & Dime Sit-Ins. Along the way, we will be visiting the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Freedom Rides museums in Montgomery, AL. Additionally, we will walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, the site of Bloody Sunday in 1965. In March 2025, this nation will commemorate the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, a civil rights movement that was organized by the late Congressman John Lewis (then chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and representatives from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr immersing our students in applied, impactful learning experiences.
Civic Engagement and Leadership Summit
Saturday, September 14, 2024 | 10:00 am – 5 pm | Chandler Ballroom C
The James Farmer Multicultural Center will be hosting its seventh annual Civic Engagement & Leadership Summit. The purpose of the summit is to create a valuable and meaningful opportunity for high school and University of Mary Washington students to enhance their awareness of social justice issues and learn about strategies and resources to effectively address and respond to them. This annual summit provides attendees with an opportunity to build coalitions across cultural barriers, strengthen advocacy, and support the promotion of an equal, equitable campus culture and climate at UMW and in American society.
Freedom & Equality Grant
The Freedom and Equality Grant has been established by the James Farmer Multicultural Center to continue the legacy and work of Dr. James Farmer, Jr. Dr. Farmer earned national prominence as one of the foremost leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. His major accomplishments and contributions to the movement and the advancement of our society established him as one of the “Big Six” of the Civil Rights Movement. He spent his life fighting to obtain access, justice, equality, and freedom for marginalized and underrepresented communities. Find out more information on the Freedom & Equality Grant page.
For more information, contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at 540/654-1044 or umwjfmc@gmail.com. Visit students.umw.edu/multicultural.
Please email us at umwjfmc@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding disability-related accommodations.