Power and the People: Social Justice in America Since the Civil Rights Movement | Panel discussion moderated by Timothy Patrick McCarthy, Ph.D.

The Civil Rights Movement was a watershed in U.S. history, inspiring and shaping subsequent social justice movements, including those advocating for Hispanic/Latinx, LGBTQI+, and disability rights. Its legacy of nonviolent protest, legal challenges, and grassroots organizing has served as a blueprint for advancing these causes. Dr. Timothy Patrick McCarthy will provide historical context on the evolution of these movements, followed by a discussion with local leaders C.J. Czaia, Zander Moricz, and Kehsi Iman Wilson. Together, they will explore how their work in Hispanic/Latinx civil rights, LGBTQI+ advocacy, and disability justice continues to build on the strategies and successes of the civil rights era, while addressing the challenges of today.

This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; reservations required.

About the Speakers

Timothy Patrick McCarthy, Ph.D., is an award-winning scholar, educator, and activist who has taught at Harvard University since 1998. At the Graduate School of Education, he is Core Faculty in the Equity and Opportunity Foundations Curriculum, Online Master’s Program in Education Leadership and Higher Education Concentration. At the Kennedy School of Government, where he was the first openly gay faculty member, he is Faculty Chair of the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program. An historian of politics and social movements, he is the author or editor of five books, most recently Reckoning with History: Unfinished Stories of American Freedom (2021).

C.J. Czaia is Founder and Attorney at Czaia Law Group. He is also Co-founder of UnidosNow, an organization dedicated to elevating the quality of life of the growing Hispanic/Latinx community in our area through education, integration, and civic engagement.

Zander Moricz is Founder and Executive Director of the SEE (Social Equity through Education) Alliance, a coalition of thousands of grassroots organizers based in Florida best known for organizing the largest student-led protest in Florida’s history. 

Kehsi Iman Wilson is Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of New Disabled South, the nation's first regional disability justice organization, dedicated to improving the lives of disabled people and advancing disability justice and rights across the south.