All photos by Marilyn Kirschner
The Social Justice Center at FIT aims to address the systemic problems faced by BIPOC (black, Indigenous, and other people of color) youth, college students, and working professionals in the fields that drive the creative economy.
The SJC, recognized on Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas, offers meaningful support and services to help BIPOC students and employees succeed in the creative industries, including fashion. They believe these efforts can significantly increase diversity and equity in these industries.
“Nobody was untouched by the George Floyd murder, and that is the reason I was compelled to open the Social Justice Center.” Dr. Joyce Brown
Dr. Joyce Brown
On Tuesday, I attended a summer lunch hosted by The Social Justice Center at FIT. The lunch featured a conversation with Dr. Joyce Brown, President of FIT, and Bakari Sellers, CNN Political Analyst and former Representative from South Carolina. It occurred on the 8th floor of the David Dubinsky Building in the Student Center.
Ralph Rucci & Walter Greene
The event pulled quite a fashionable crowd. Among the approximately 100 attendees were FGI President Maryanne Grisz, Ralph Rucci, Freddie Leiba, Bridget Foley, Byron Lars, B. Michael, Constance White, Teri Agins, Nancy Chilton, Paul Arnold, Marisol Deluna, Phillip Bloch, longtime fashion, social, style critic Walter Greene, creative artist Beau McCall, publicist Elyse Feldman, and Beth Rudin DeWoody, art patron, collector, curator, and philanthropist.
Harriette Cole & Constance White
Of course, there were the media stars. Seated next to me was Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC’s morning talk show The View, for which she received nominations for Daytime Emmy Awards, and Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News.
Bakari Sellers & Dr. Joyce Brown
During a lovely lunch of chilled soup and a salad of sliced chicken breast and artichokes, Dr. Joyce Brown made her welcoming remarks: “Our goal is to change the face of the creative industry.”We start with teenagers, but our main focus is on college students. Our first cohort will graduate next year, and we are beyond proud.”
Byron Lars wearing a headband
Dr. Brown observed that young people today have grown up under the cloud of the 9/11 attack, bombings of churches and synagogues, a global pandemic, and an attempt to overthrow our government, and more than ever, they need role models and guidance as they seek to create social change, social justice.
Teri Agins, Sheila Gray, & Byron Lars
“An author once wrote that the only way to cope with change is to create it. And that author was Bakari Sellers,” said Dr. Brown. She wanted to invite Bakari to join her in a conversation because Sellers is an important voice in the move for change, and he calls for the empowerment of young people to be that voice for change.
Bakari Sellers is the author of the New York Times bestseller My Vanishing Country: A Memoir, offering passionate political and social commentary and analysis informed by first-hand experience inside one of the nation’s major political parties and The Moment.
Nancy Chilton
Named as one of the nation’s most influential African Americans, Sellers made history in 2006 when, at just 22 years old, he defeated a 26-year incumbent State Representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official. As Bakari begins to speak, it is clear he has “youth” on his mind.
“The Gay Rights Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Women’s Rights Movement are all being led by young people, and we should get out of the way and let them lead” -Bakari Sellers.
Marisol Deluna & Marilyn Kirschner
“This generation has persevered more than any other generation before it, and they have lived through so much and seen so much the least we can do is to give them more grace,” notes Sellers who went on to say that he uses the word “grace” a lot these days.
Phillip Bloch, Freddie Leiba, & Beth Rudin DeWoody
Bakari sees the criminal justice system as not broken. It works the way it was engineered to work. What we need to do is deconstruct that system so that it performs. During his conversation with Dr. Brown, he touched on recurring themes with passion, insight, and humor, including “isms” (Institutional racism, antisemitism), the criminal justice system, and George Floyd.
“The price of change for certain groups of individuals in this country is too damn high. One of my responsibilities in life is to drive down the cost of change for people of color. If we want to see change, it should not require you to go out and have to give your life on a sidewalk.”
Bakari Sellers
Like Dr. Brown, Sellers credits George Floyd with “starting it all.” The Fair Housing Act would not have happened if Dr. King had not been assassinated, and we can’t talk about criminal justice reform without talking about George Floyd’s death, opines Sellers. “Justice is not the conviction of Derek Chauvin. Justice is George Floyd being able to raise his daughters,” says Sellers, who believes that understanding history is key.
Left: MaryAnne Grisz
Sellers blames the social media and the 24 hour news cycle (even though he is part of it), to the “erosion and decaying” of society, but Bakari thinks our biggest problem is the “lack of empathy”. As he put it, “You have to love your neighbor even when they don’t love you”. Dr Browne agreed but also thought apathy was also a big part of the problem.
Peter Arnold, Ralph Rucci, Dr. Joyce Brown, Bakari Sellers, & Bridget Foley
Even though Dr. Brown said she didn’t want to get “political”, she brought up “The Debate” towards the end of the conversation. Dr. Brown asked Sellers what he was anticipating on Thursday night. Sellers predicts that this will be a night when more than 95 percent of this room watches, like a “car crash,” to see how a 78-year-old and an 81-year-old will do at 9 p.m.
Thomas Iannaccone & guest
Dr. Brown noted that the “real fear” is that “Biden will drop dead tomorrow and Kamala Harris will become President,” but Sellers believes that the biggest problem is that we have two candidates, both of whom live in the past. “They cannot articulate a clear vision for the future because they may not be a part of it.”
Speaking of the future, I look forward to reading Seller’s new book, “The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning That Wasn’t and How We All Can Move Forward Now,” which was gifted to all luncheon guests on their way out.
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