By Jessica Sinn • March 10, 2020
Latinx voter mobilization, the impact of the U.S. Census, and racial inequities within the U.S. criminal justice system were the big topics of our 34th Annual Heman Marion Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights, held on Thursday, Feb. 27 at the Engineering Education and Research Center.
Below are a few highlights from the event. All photos can be found on our Flickr site.
Hallease Narvaez, UT Austin alumna and executive producer of Stumblewell, discussed her advocacy work as a digital storyteller and shared some tips on how to empower others to enact social change.
“Try to keep it positive; try to show that progression has been done so when you give people that strong call to action, they can start moving the needle forward.”– Hallease Narvaez
Maria Renee Morales (pictured above) and Rudy Vega of JOLT Action, presented current statistics about the rapid growth of Latinx communities across the nation and offered insight into how this demographic of voters can shape future elections.
“Our mission is to get Brown and Black communities involved in the civic process. We want our community to go out and vote. We want to win on issues that matter to us. “ – Rudy Vega
Leonard N. Moore, vice president for diversity and community engagement, moderated a powerful conversation with civil rights attorney Ben Crump. He shared experiences representing some of the most high-profile cases in the U.S., including the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Stephon Clark.
“When we fight for the Trayvon Martins of the world and the unknown Trayvon Martins—or what my grandmother calls ‘the least of these,’ we’re helping America live up to its creed. We’re helping America become the beacon of hope. We’re helping Americans be America for all Americans. I rest my case.”– Ben Crump
Two remarkable students, Ashley Ikwuagwu and Brandon Okeke, were honored with Student Legacy Awards. Both will be graduating from the College of Natural Sciences this spring and will be attending medical school in the fall.
After bringing the crowd to their feet, Crump signed copies of his new book “Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People.” Guests included students, faculty, staff, community leaders and members of the Precursors, a group of African American alumni who share the distinction of being among the first Black students to attend and integrate UT Austin more than 40 years ago.
Jessica Sinn 
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