Conference Overview
Tri-Faith Initiative, the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) Religious Studies department, and the UNO Strategic Investment Initiative invite you to the second annual Race, Religion, and Social Justice Conference on June 7 and June 8, 2023 at the Tri-Faith Commons in Omaha, NE.
This year’s theme is “Building Bridges of Hope.”
Hope is not simply wishful thinking. Hope is an intentional, confident expectation that the social issues we are addressing ought to, and can, be overcome. This conference is making connections across differences — institutional differences, divided communities, and dissimilarities between individuals.
The conference will address intersections between race, religion, and social justice across different sectors of society. We invite multi-sector approaches — nonprofit and civic leaders, diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) practitioners, community members, educators, physical and mental health practitioners, artists, religious communities, and scholars.
There will be a range of education, conversation, and workshop sessions, as well as visual and performing arts pieces. Attendees will also be able to enjoy food trucks and other vendors.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. If you require any accommodations such as an ASL interpreter, please contact Tri-Faith Initiative Mission Advancement Coordinator Megan Griffiths at mgriffiths@trifaith.org with the subject line, “RRSJ Accommodations.”
Conference Keynote
The RRSJ Conference keynote will be presented as a fireside chat conversation beginning 7 PM on Wednesday, June 7 at Temple Israel (13111 Sterling Ridge Drive, Omaha, NE 68144).
Building bridges of hope and healing requires an earnest, often uncomfortable encounter with the past. Perhaps no other contemporary writer has demonstrated their ability to probe, digest, and teach this truth more clearly than Clint Smith.
His work reflectively explores the power of narratives and the broader phenomena of public memory — particularly, “how people, communities, and nations should account for the crimes of their past” (“How Germany Remembers the Holocaust,” The Atlantic).
As our RRSJ 2023 keynote, Clint will discuss the themes explored in How the Word Is Passed, as well as the above Atlantic article. There will be a reading from his latest poetry collection, Above Ground, followed by a Q&A session and a book signing.
About Clint Smith
Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and a 2021 National Book Critics Circle Award Winner for Nonfiction, and the poetry collection Counting Descent, which won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award.
His latest book, Above Ground, is a remarkable poetry collection that traverses the vast emotional terrain of fatherhood, and explores how becoming a parent has recalibrated his sense of the world. It includes poems that interrogate the ways our lives are shaped by both personal lineages and historical institutions.
Conference Pricing
If you are fortunate enough to have the financial stability to do so comfortably, please consider purchasing a 2023 RRSJ Patron Ticket. Your contribution helps those in our community who may be uplifted by this event but face financial barriers to attending.
RRSJ PATRON TICKET: $149.99
By purchasing a patron ticket, you get:
- Full access* to the 2023 Race, Religion & Social Justice Conference
- Post-event recognition for helping cover the ticket cost for a community attendee facing financial barriers (anonymity optional)
FULL-ACCESS* CONFERENCE TICKET: $49.99
*Full access includes the special opening keynote, “An Evening with Clint Smith,” taking place at Temple Israel the eve of the conference (June 7).
Stand-alone tickets for “An Evening with Clint Smith” are also available for sale on the GiveLively ticket portal; this stand-alone ticket does not admit entrance to any conference activities on June 8.
Our goal is to make this conference as valuable and as accessible as possible. Scholarships are available for students who wish to attend, as well as any non-student with a clear financial need.
Please click HERE if you would like to apply for a scholarship.
Questions? Contact the Race, Religion, and Social Justice Conference at RRSJ@trifaith.org.
Lead Partners
Spread the Word
