Social Justice & Arts Integration Initiative

Slought and Penn Social Policy & Practice are pleased to announce the Social Justice & Arts Integration Initiative, which makes the bold claim that the arts are an indispensable means and method of imagining justice and making democracy. Through public programming and educational opportunities, we aim to harness the power of university and community collaboration and elevate stories and histories of the struggle for justice in Philadelphia and beyond.

We take our departure from W. E. B. Du Bois, the world historical figure, who began his groundbreaking work in Philadelphia with The Philadelphia Negro, and went on to nearly a century of extraordinary reimaginings of the conditions for the possibility of freedom and justice globally for people of African descent. In his seminal The Souls of Black Folks, Du Bois posed two questions that ground the work of the Initiative—especially in our appreciation for real world suffering that demands justice—"How does it feel to be a problem?" and "What must be done?" At once analytic, deeply empathetic, and visionary, Du Bois' questions serve as a call to let suffering speak and to realize justice for all.

We imagine the work of social justice and the arts as a bridge across ideological and other divides. The Initiative seek to expand access in our work by advancing a spirit of collaborative experimentation and inclusive, democratic values. We invite you to join in our work.