Introducing the 2024 Diversity Forum speakers

Two dynamic, nationally known speakers will headline the University of Pittsburgh’s 2024 Diversity Forum.

Remarks will be delivered by Feminista Jones, an award-winning writer, public speaker, community activist and retired social worker; and the Rev. William Barber II, a social activist, Protestant minister and founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Dr. William Barber and Feminista Jones to this signature event at the University of Pittsburgh,” said Chance Wideman, director of equity and inclusion programs in Pitt’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. “We’re eager to learn about their experiences facilitating productive dialogue and discourse around difficult topics, and we think their remarks are going to stimulate a lot of interesting conversations among students, faculty, and staff.”

The theme for this year’s Diversity Forum is “Amplifying Our Voices Through Active Listening and Constructive Dialogue,” which builds on Pitt’s Year of Discourse and Dialogue for 2023-24.

Barber will deliver a keynote address at 7 p.m. Jan. 23. Workshop sessions will be held throughout Jan. 24, which will conclude with remarks by Jones at 5 p.m.

This Diversity Forum has been scheduled to coincide with the University’s annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Week, which will begin Jan. 22 and culminate Jan. 26 with the presentation of Creating a Just Community and UPSIDE awards. The social justice symposium will be held Jan. 25.

Registration is now open for the virtual two-day event, which is free and open to the public. Additional details about the workshop sessions will be announced soon.

About Barber

The Rev. William J. Barber II has been pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, for the past 29 years, and is a professor of public theology and public policy as well as founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.

The author of four books, Barber served as president of the North Carolina NAACP from 2006-2017 and on the National NAACP Board of Directors from 2008-2020. He is the architect of the Forward Together Moral Movement, which gained national acclaim in 2013 with its Moral Monday protests at the North Carolina General Assembly. In 2015, he established Repairers of the Breach to train communities in moral movement building through the Moral Political Organizing Leadership Institute and Summit Trainings.

Barber is a 2018 MacArthur Foundation Genius Award recipient and a 2015 recipient of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award and the Puffin Award. He has had twelve honorary degrees conferred upon him. He also earned a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University and a Doctorate from Drew University with a concentration in Public Policy and Pastoral Care.

About Jones

Twice named one of the top 100 most influential people in Philadelphia and named one of the top 50 feminists in the world, Feminista Jones is a feminist thought leader and social media influencer honored for online activism.

An award-winning writer and the author of the critically acclaimed “Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World From the Tweets to the Streets,” her work centers around diversity, equity and inclusion, critical race theory, intersectionality, mental health, queer identity and social work. She teaches courses on race, gender and LGBTQ experiences at Temple University.

In 2014, she launched a global anti-street-harassment campaign and a National Moment of Silence protesting police brutality, both of which received international media attention. That year, she was named one of the Top 100 Black Social Influencers by The Root. In 2017, Jones was named one of Philadelphia’s 100 most influential people by Philadelphia magazine and was later featured in Philadelphia Style magazine for her community work. In 2020, Jones was named one of the 76 Most Influential People in Philadelphia.