3 Pitt honors students presented at a Justice and Equity Honors Network gathering

In June, student members of the Social Change Research Hub and Ron Idoko traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Justice and Equity Honors Network (JEHN) summer gathering. Cole Belling, Meghana Dodda and Gabriella Garvin presented their global Racial Equity Awareness Database (R.E.A.D.) and engaged in dialogue on combatting systemic racism and advancing racial equity.

They were able to connect with members of the National Institutes of Health, Syrian Emergency Task Force, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Regulatory Assistance Project, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Urban Institute, the Southern Border Communities Coalition and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The group also visited the Howard University School of Law, courtesy of Professor Justin Hansford.

The JEHN program was founded by the Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York and Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University as testament to their commitment to a better future and strong democracy. Pitt’s David C. Frederick Honors College and the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College at the University of Central Arkansas have joined on as additional partners. The program’s scholars are provided with education and professional connections to face issues of injustice, incivility and political disengagement that troubles the world. The students participate in online synthesis sessions and use what they have learned from the program to produce a research, policy or service project that addresses real-world issues that is presented at the Summer Gathering.

— Mary-Aleyde Angbanzan