Germaine Ingram to deliver 2016 'DEIS Impact keynote

The annual festival of social justice runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 7

Photo/J.J. Tizio

Germaine Ingram, an accomplished civil rights lawyer and celebrated tap dancer who has pursued social justice both on the stage and in the courtroom, will be this year’s keynote speaker for ’DEIS Impact 2016.

Now in its fifth year, ’DEIS Impact, Brandeis University’s annual festival for social justice, is a collaboration of the Brandeis Undergraduate Student Union and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, with support provided by the Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice. This year’s festival features more than 50 events conceived and brought to fruition by students, staff and faculty.

As part of her visit to campus, Ingram will perform "Freedom Underfoot" – a look at the final horrific year of the Civil War in Atlanta – on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater with musicians Jacqueline Pickett and Diane Monroe. Ingram’s keynote address, “The Law and the Stage: Platforms for Pursuing Social Justice," will be held Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m., also in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater. Both events are free and open to the public.

Before turning to dance full-time, Ingram practiced law for 30 years, litigating employment discrimination class action suits that led to reform in the heavy construction trades, and challenging policies and practices that limited employment opportunities for women and minorities in the Philadelphia Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police. While serving as general counsel and deputy to the superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, she led litigation against state funding formulae that discriminated against districts with concentrations of poor and minority children.

Ingram’s work as a tap dancer, choreographer and vocal performer has often focused on themes of history and social justice. Some recent projects include: a production inspired by the establishment of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia in the late 18th Century, an hourlong performance piece for Atlanta’s 150-year commemoration of the Battle of Atlanta, and an evening-length production of original music and dance for the VivaDanca International Festival in Salvador, Brazil. She is currently collaborating on an 18-month, multi-disciplinary exploration of how art addresses incidents of sudden loss of human life. 

More information on Ingram visit and other ’DEIS Impact events can be found on the festival’s website.