2024 BSU-UMD Social Justice Alliance Symposium - "Lift Every Voice": Artists for Social and Racial Justice

Students, faculty, staff and community members gathered on April 12, 2024 for the Social Justice Alliance Spring Symposium. Featured speakers included:

• Laura Coates - CNN's chief legal analyst and anchor of Laura Coates Live.

• Keshia Knight Pulliam - Emmy nominated and award-winning actress who was welcomed into homes all over the world at five years old as Rudy Huxtable.

• Nikkolas Smith - Artivist, Concept Artist, Children's Books Author, Film Illustrator and Movie Poster Designer.

• Amanda Seales - Comedian, actress, writer, producer, and more.

• Leon Timbo - country-soul singer-songwriter.

Video produced by Taylor Brown 31.

Outward Bound Pilot

After lots of hard work, in late September, Outward Bound Chesapeake Bay and the 2nd LT Richard W. Collins III Foundation launched our joint pilot program: Building Bridges. This groundbreaking program connects ROTC Cadets from our partner schools Bowie State University and University of Maryland, College Park which — despite being only a few miles away from each other — have long seemed worlds apart.

During the program’s first activation on September 17th, 40 ROTC students — 20 from Bowie State University and 20 from the University of Maryland — joined at the Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School base camp in Baltimore for a full day of team building exercises, shared challenges, and fun on a high ropes course.

With cadets from both schools reveling in the joy of building a new community and camaraderie, this first event of what will be many was a smashing success.

Social Justice Alliance Moving Forward

Last time we were in touch we told you a little bit about the launch of the Social Justice Alliance in Honor of Lt. Richard Collins III. The first-of-its-kind partnership between Bowie State University and University of Maryland, facilitated by our foundation, has made huge progress since its inception, and even since the April 2021 symposium we told you about last time.

Before the new school year kicked off in August, the Social Justice Alliance had what will now be an annual planning meeting. Our Founders, Dawn and Rick Collins, were both present in addition to other key members of our Foundation’s family to discuss objectives for the Alliance to achieve over the coming year. Stay tuned to learn more about events we’d love for you to consider participating in, in addition to the growing impact of this partnership that we hope will be a model for other universities across the country.