Towards Reconstructed Futures: Racial Justice in a Post-COVID World
2021 Summer Institute | June 6-18, 2021
Just over a year ago, the world changed. Weeks of uncertainty turned into months that disrupted every aspect of how we work, learn, and connect. The pandemic revealed the starkness of inequality with bright contrasts. The wealthiest got wealthier, while essential workers, women, and communities of color suffered the virus’s worst devastation.
Even as we see the light at the end of the tunnel, we cannot return back to normal. We must confront the realities the pandemic has laid bare; we must reimagine what could be; we must reckon with a history of racial injustice and rebuild structures that advance justice for all.
The 2021 Summer Institute theme, Towards Reconstructed Futures: Racial Justice in a Post-COVID World, echoes the image American poet laureate and activist Amanda Gorman captured in her inaugural poem:
If we’re to live up to our own time
Amanda Gorman
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it.
We have an opportunity—an imperative—to act. This year’s Summer Institute is about the work we must do together as leaders to realize a more equitable and inclusive future for higher education.
[tribe_events]Photo Sharing
Share photos of your favorite memories from Summer Institute on our Google Photos album with these photo challenges! Post at least 3 photos and we will send you a special ODU swag bag!
Program Values
Masked Monarch Playlist
Have a favorite song? Send it to us and we will add it to the Masked Monarch playlist or you can add it yourself on our Spotify collaborative playlist. Share the name of the song and artist and (if you want!) nominate someone to sing it at the Masked Monarch event. We’ll add it to the playlist within 24 hours. Include your name (optional) if you want us to email you to confirm when it’s been added.
Questions? Email Dr. Chris Glass at crglass@odu.edu.