Upcoming Events


All events are free and open to the public, except where noted.

protestors with Black Lives Matter signBlack Lives Matter under a New Presidency: What Lies Ahead?

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Time: 1:00 - 2:15 pm EST
Location: Zoom - Register.

Please join us to hear the thoughts of past awardees of the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize and the Richman Distinguished Fellowship in Public Life on the directions of the Black Lives Matter movement at this pivotal moment in our nation’s history. What might we expect in the near future as we transition from a Trump to Biden administration? How might we, as a society, avoid returning to the status quo on questions of racial inequity and social justice? Might the racial and ethnic health disparities made so visible by the pandemic trigger a rethinking of public policy and programs? What can we, as individuals, do to support the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement in order to bring about lasting and meaningful change?

Panelists: 

Welcome: Ron Liebowitz, President, Brandeis University
Moderator: Carina E. Ray, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies, Harry Coplan Chair of Social Sciences, Brandeis University

Sponsored by the Office of the President; the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and the Ethics Center.

Photo credit: James Eades

Conversation Series PosterAn IMPACT event

Creative Approaches to Transitional Justice: Symbolic Reparations: Ethical Considerations

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Time: 2:00 - 3:30 pm EST
Location: Online - Register 

A series of virtual presentations and conversations focusing on creative approaches to transitional justice. Each session is based on the special issue of the International Journal of Transitional Justice co-edited by Peacebuilding and the Arts (PBA) director Cynthia Cohen and contributed to by PBA assistant director and CAST co-chair Toni Shapiro-Phim.

Despite best intentions, sometimes artistic and cultural interventions cause harm. How can an assessment of past experiences suggest ethical guidelines for future initiatives? This session features presentations based on articles by CAST co-chair Toni Shapiro-Phim, "Embodying the Pain and Cruelty by Others," and by a team of scholars including Professor of Hispanic Studies and Comparative Literature Fernando Rosenberg, "Repairing Symbolic Reparations: Assessing the Effectiveness of Memorialization in the Inter-American System of Human Rights."

Convenors: Acts of Listening Lab, Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling: Concordia University; Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts, International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life: Brandeis University; IMPACT: The Imagining Together Platform for Arts, Culture and Conflict Transformation

Co-convenors: International Journal of Transitional Justice, Oxford University Press; Boston College Center for Human Rights & International Justice; Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (South Africa)


intertwined colored ropesOneShared.World: Youth Activism, Community Engagement and the Reality of Global Interdependence

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Time: 2:00 - 3:30 pm EST
Location: Zoom - Register

OneShared.World is a bold and visionary response to our ongoing global crises. The pandemic has exposed the failure of the world’s nations to meet basic human needs and respond constructively to shared global threats. Furthermore, this failure stems from our inability to act in ways that recognize humanity’s deep interdependence. What affects one of us will eventually affect all of us. Whether addressing pandemics, climate change, systemic poverty, or racial inequality, OneShared.World emphasizes that our fates are bound together.

This event will explore the OneShared.World model and, in particular, the role that youth are playing to advance initiatives that embrace the interconnectedness of people and the need to collaborate on the complex challenges confronting us all. Young people from diverse backgrounds and countries will share their experiences of activism on some of the most critical issues of our time. They will discuss what spurred them into action, who inspired them, the kinds of obstacles they face, and meaningful moments in their journeys.

All are welcome. Questions? Contact ethics@brandeis.edu.

Cokley headshotRichman Distinguished Fellow in Public Life - Rebecca Cokley

Achieving an Inclusive Democracy: What It Means for Every Voice to Count

Virtual Award Ceremony and Presentation 

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm EST
Location: Zoom - Register.

The Americans With Disabilities Act, one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws in the country, just turned 30, and yet 60 million disabled people still struggle to access key parts of the American Dream.

Rebecca Cokley is the first program officer to lead a U.S. based disability rights portfolio for the Office of the President at the Ford Foundation. From 2017-2020 she served as the founder/director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, which focuses on expanding economic opportunity for people with disabilities and building inclusive policies. She previously served as the executive director of the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent agency charged with advising Congress and the White House on issues of national disability public policy.

Read more about Rebecca Cokley. The award will be presented by Provost Carol A. Fierke.

View a recording of a 2020 Heller School virtual event where Cokley served as a panelist: "Disability Rights are Civil Rights." 

View Cokley's 2018 TedXUniversityofRochester talk, "Reflections from an ADA Generation."

See the 2017 CNN piece on Cokley, "What It's Like to Be Me."

Richman Fellows are selected from among individuals active in public life whose contributions have had a significant impact on improving American society, strengthening democratic institutions, advancing social justice or increasing opportunities for all citizens to realize and share in the benefits of this nation.

The Richman Distinguished Fellowship in Public Life was created by Brandeis alumna Dr. Carol Richman Saivetz ’69, along with her children, Michael Saivetz ’97 and Aliza Saivetz Glasser ’01, in honor of Carol’s parents, Fred and Rita Richman. The award is funded by the generosity of the Richman and Saivetz families. The Richman Fellowship program is hosted by the Ethics Center on behalf of the Office of the President.

Stevenson headshotJoseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize Award Ceremony and Lecture - Howard C. Stevenson 

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Time and location TBA

Howard C. Stevenson, a nationally recognized clinical psychologist and researcher of racial stress and trauma, is the next recipient of the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize.

Stevenson is the Constance Clayton Professor of Urban Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where he serves as executive director of the Racial Empowerment Collaborative and directs Forward Promise, a national philanthropic office that promotes a culture of health for boys and young men of color, to help them heal from the trauma of historical and present-day dehumanization, discrimination and colonization.

Read more about Howard Stevenson. 

The Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize was created by the late Professor Joseph B. Gittler to recognize outstanding and lasting scholarly contributions to racial, ethnic and/or religious relations. The Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Endowed Fund at Brandeis University supports this annual award. The Gittler Prize is hosted by the Ethics Center on behalf of the Office of the President.