Social Justice Commons^™

Beyond The Shadow Of Large Cities: Small And Mid-Sized Cities As Hidden Epicenters Of Eviction, Evicted In Oregon, Alex Farrington, Colleen Carroll, Azad Amir-Ghassemi, Safia Goldsmith, Lisa K. Bates

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most eviction research focuses on large cities, leaving us with limited knowledge of evictions in smaller cities. Our analysis of evictions in three small and mid-sized cities in Oregon reveals that these cities can also experience severe eviction crises. By collecting and hand-coding data from justice courts, we provide a comprehensive view of evictions in these cities–including the role different types of courts play–for the first time.

Reenvisioning Identities That Precede Us: “Body Acknowledgement” As Social Justice Practice Within A Communication Ethics Course Redesign, Wendy Kz Anderson, Ollivia Webster, Nicole Yang, Cass Bryant, Taylor Herr

Feminist Pedagogy

We infuse this conversation of “body neutrality” through social justice responsiveness (compassion, equity, and accountability of body/presence privilege) by specifically attending to intersections of race, gender, and body mindset built into our identities. In reimagining the term “body-neutrality” through identity engagement, we introduce the term “body acknowledgment” as an active interpretative state. As a co-authored pedagogical “co-conspiring” for racial justice (Houdek and Ore, 2021, p. 92), we (instructor, teaching assistants, and previous students) offered a course redesign centering social justice strategies to address the following question: How can dialogue about intersectional communication work toward redesigning learning with difference and develop …

Youth Experiences Of Participation, Inclusion, And Influence Within A Youth-Serving Organization Implementing Participatory Processes, Rhen M. Miles

Dissertations and Theses

The youth development field has undergone shifts and reconstructions in how youth are conceived, impacting the approaches of youth-serving programs attempting to facilitate learning, growth, and engagement. Evolving views inform how policymakers, funders, and youth-serving agencies perceive and relate with youth. In turn, these dynamics influence how youth learn to think about themselves, others, and the world. Dominant discourse regarding youth development has been shifting from a deficit-based to an asset-based lens, with the proliferation of Positive Youth Development (PYD) frameworks, which seek to cultivate internal strengths and positive developmental outcomes rather than just prevent negative behaviors and outcomes. Despite …

Conceptualising Coercion In Child/Forced Marriage Through An Intersectional Lens: Narratives Of Survivors And Practitioners In The Us, Sundari Anitha, Manjusha Gupte

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article examines the nature and forms of coercion in the forced marriage of minors in the US. We explore: (i) direct emotional or physical force exercised by parents which is commonly underpinned by dominant constructions of gender and sexuality, a well-rehearsed theme in existing scholarship; (ii) the hitherto unexamined role of intersecting socio-economic disadvantages in vitiating consent; and (iii) how state policies/practices create conducive contexts for child/forced marriage, which is elided in existing scholarship. In extending existing conceptualisations of coercion in child/forced marriage, we explicate the ‘total burden of coercion’ through a focus on the contexts within which consent …

The Invisible Default: Examining Representation In Digital Collections, Kaylee P. Alexander, Dorothy Terry, Jasmine Kirby, Rachel Jane Wittmann, Anna Neatrour

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This mixed-method study investigates the representation of race and ethnicity within the J. Willard Marriott Digital Library at the University of Utah. The digital collections analyzed in this study come from the Marriott Library’s Special Collections, which represent only a fraction of the library’s physical material (less than 1 percent), albeit those most public facing. Using a team-based approach with librarians from various disciplines and areas of expertise, this project yielded dynamic analysis and conversation combined with heavy contemplation. These investigations are informed by contemporary efforts in librarianship focused on inclusive cataloging, reparative metadata, and addressing archival silences. By employing …

2024 Oregon Statewide Homelessness Estimates, Franklin H. Spurbeck, Jacen Greene, Marisa Zapata

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is a census of people experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on a single night in January. The federal government requires this at least every other year as a condition of funding it distributes to Continuums of Care (CoCs), networks of government agencies and service providers that manage homelessness services and funding in specific regions. The unsheltered PIT Count is only required during odd-numbered years. Because of the cost and complexity involved, not all CoCs conduct an unsheltered count in even-numbered years. In 2024, all Oregon CoCs submitted sheltered PIT Count data. Only some conducted an …

Displaced: Distinguishing Housing Outcomes From Judicial Outcomes In Oregon’S Eviction Cases, Colleen Carroll, Minji Cho, Lisa K. Bates

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In an eviction case, the tenant’s housing outcome refers to whether the tenant remains in their home (the unit) at the end of the eviction process. At the end of the eviction process, either the tenant remained in the home or was displaced. Unfortunately, housing outcomes are not systematically recorded as part of the eviction process. In some cases, the tenant’s housing outcome is recorded in the case records or court documents, but this is not always consistent. To address this, we developed three categories of housing outcomes—remained, displaced, and undeterminable—to measure the outcomes of eviction cases filed in Multnomah …

Writing Back To Empire: Anticolonial Petitioning And Decolonisation In Postwar British West Africa, 1945–1960, Bright Alozie

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article reexamines petition writing as a strategic form of anticolonial resistance and negotiation in British West Africa between 1945 and 1960. Focusing on Nigeria and the Gold Coast (now Ghana), it argues that petitions – often regarded as apolitical or ineffective – were in fact deeply political texts through which colonised individuals asserted rights, challenged imperial authority, and participated in shaping decolonisation discourse. Drawing on new archival petitions, colonial correspondence, and administrative records, the study analyzes how a wide range of African actors – including trade unions, veterans, women’s organisations, and youth groups – appropriated colonial bureaucratic norms to …

The Rise Of Digital Activism: How Social Media Drives Racial Justice Movements, Angelica Ngoho

A with Honors Projects

Social media has revolutionized racial justice movements by organizing action and amplifying voices.

Exploring Undergraduate Understanding And Learning Of Catholic Social Teaching In Catholic Higher Education, Kenny Van Tilburg

Dissertations

Since the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, Catholic higher education (CHE) has wrestled with its Catholic identity in a changing landscape and changing world (Gallin, 1996, 2000; Gleason, 1995; Morey & Piderit, 2006). A big component of this identity-recognition process is the continued evolution and inclusion of Catholic social teaching (CST) in the educational approach of CHE. Despite its importance, much evidence has suggested CST is underwhelmingly present in the education of contemporary CHE (Beyer, 2021; Galligan-Stierle, 2014; Hudson et al., 2018; Nickerson & Dammer, 2018; Reed-Bouley, 2016; Sullivan & Pagnucco, 2014; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB], …

Threats To Democracy: A Danger To Social Justice For All, José Luis Irizarry, Rajade M. Berry-James, Duchess D. Humphrey, Rachel Emas, Bruce D. Mcdonald Iii, James Nordin, Michael Lee, Lindsey L. Evans, Anthony M. Starke Jr., Jay M. Grosflam

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

This essay argues that threats to democracy—both global and domestic—pose an existential risk to the advancement of social justice. It explores how democratic backsliding undermines efforts to achieve social justice for all, examining anti-democratic practices such as misinformation, voter suppression, institutional dismantling, and the politicization of public service. Highlighting the interdependence between democratic institutions and social equity in public governance, the authors propose a multilevel response framework to foster democratic resilience through civic engagement, institutional accountability, and collective action. In this essay, members of the Board of the Section on Democracy and Social Justice (DSJ) of the American Society for …

Supporting Social Justice In Physical Education Teacher Education Programs: A Qualitative Analysis Of Adapted Pe Teachers' Perspectives, Ann-Catherine Sullivan, Christianna Blanchard-Alworth, Cynthia K. Piletic, Linda Hilgenbrinck

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Despite attention to sociocultural issues in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE), the role of Adapted Physical Education (APE) teachers as social justice advocates remains underexplored. A primary responsibility of APE teachers is to provide specially designed instruction to students with disabilities (SWD), so they have access to the general physical education curriculum to make progress toward grade-level standards. This study presents a qualitative analysis of the perspectives of National Adapted Physical Education Teachers of the Year (APE TOYs) on advocating for social justice within PETE programs. A phenomenological approach with mixed-methods design was used. Findings emphasise the importance of fairness, …

Learning To Be An Autistic Therapist: Personal Steps Towards An Autism-Affirming Psychotherapy, Sasha D. Strong

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

How can Autistic therapists understand and support themselves, and how can this help them support their clients? In this paper, I recount my personal journey of healing and growth as an Autistic psychotherapist, 16 months after self-identification. Here is an overview of conceptual frameworks from #actuallyautistic authors, critical theory, queer theory, and social justice that I have found helpful. I also share some of the therapeutic and wellness approaches that have been important to me, including mindfulness and bodyfulness. Organic knowing has been pivotal for me in discerning between masking and aliveness, and regaining a choice around masking behaviors. This …

Laundry Program Evaluation, Jacen Greene, Sandra Comstock, Marisa Zapata

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Nearly 4,000 people were reported as experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Multnomah County in 2023 (Theriault, Roots & Okeke, 2023). Studies by the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative (HRAC) at Portland State University and other researchers have identified an urgent need for free laundry services among people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the Portland region. A lack of access to clean laundry is associated with negative impacts on mental and physical health, as well as environmental impacts from wet or dirty textiles that are discarded rather than being reused.

In an attempt to address these and other issues, the City of Portland …

“You Could Have Did Us Better Than This”: Reparative Housing Policies And The Struggle To Right Harms To Black Communities, Amie Thurber, Lisa K. Bates, Susan Halverson, Keisha Muia

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper contributes to the burgeoning literature related to reparative planning, with an emphasis on housing policy. After exploring the state of theorizing related to reparative planning, this paper describes its three central dimensions: public recognition, material redistribution, and social/spatial transformation. The authors use these dimensions to evaluate a housing policy designed to repair harms to Black residents in Portland, Oregon. This in-depth analysis draws on survey, interview, and focus group data to explore the degree to which residents’ experiences of the policy reflect these three dimensions. The paper concludes with implications for other municipalities considering reparative housing policies, namely …

Don’T Sweat The Technique: Rhetoric, Coded Social Critique, And Conspiracy Theories In Hip-Hop, Josh Chase

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Conspiracy theories are once again a topic of heated debate in both popular and scholarly media. Critics on one side of this debate often take for granted an “underlying assumption that conspiracy theories should be subdued if not eliminated” (Uscinski 444). Other scholars have expressed concern over the ways the “conspiracy theorist” pejorative stifles dissent and regulates political rationality (Rankin; deHaven-Smith). Bratich argues that social anxieties about issues like emerging technology and race “get managed” through the public debate about conspiracy theories as an “object of concern” (160–61). This paper asks, what are the consequences when “conspiracy panic” spreads beyond …

Perspectives Through The Lens Of Educators And Students: Teaching Flood Mitigation And Other Controversial Food, Energy, Water Nexus Issues In The Classroom, Sumaiya Tabassum

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Science and society are inseparably linked, shaping each other in ways that define our world, emphasizing the need to teach science for empowering students capable of taking meaningful action toward building a sustainable and just society. Developing sustainability competencies in students is an important step toward this goal, with controversial socio-scientific issues (SSIs) providing a valuable teaching context, that encourage students in analyzing interdisciplinary evidence while considering the social, economic impacts of potential solutions. However, recognizing the unique perspectives individuals bring to the classroom is prerequisite for tailoring effective, inclusive instruction, as perspectives often shape learning and classroom-engagement. This study …

A Target Model For Social Justice Supervision, Sara E. Ellison, Paul Tierney, Margaret Taylor

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Addressing social justice in supervision is essential to dismantling systemic oppression and infusing social justice practices into the profession of counseling. Despite the importance of social justice to the training and development of novice counselors, few models exist in the professional literature to guide supervisors wishing to integrate these essential competencies. This article proposes a simple, structured Target Model for Social Justice Supervision utilizing the roles of Bernard’s Discrimination Model to focus on self-awareness, client and supervisee worldview, the counseling and supervision relationship, social justice interventions, and evaluation procedures. Specific goals, strategies, interventions, and the application of the model are …

Press Release: Pace University To Kick-Off Social Justice Week On October 26, Shannon Thyberg

Social Justice Week

Pace University will kick-off its annual Social Justice Week on Saturday across its three campuses – in lower Manhattan, Pleasantville, and at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. In its fifth year, the week features events that adhere to values of equity and inclusion while engaging the campus community in learning activities and dialogue centered on the issues of social justice.

The original article, with additional photos, can be viewed here

Teach Me How To Love: The Love Ethic As A Foundation For Liberatory Counseling Education, R. Danielle Scott

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Centering social justice within the university classroom is essential for fostering an inclusive and equitable learning environment and empowering students toward an orientation for social change. This article explores how interdisciplinary learning, grounded in bell hooks’ concept of the “love ethic” from All About Love, can enhance counseling education within the field of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS). The study focuses on a flexible-synchronous course designed for upper-level undergraduate students as an elective in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at a predominantly White Midwestern public university. By integrating decolonized course content and a critical, inclusive pedagogical approach, the …

Research As Activism: Bridging Knowledge And Action For Transformational Change, Ardavan Eizadirad, Jennifer Straub, Emin Kilinc

Education Faculty Publications

Research as Activism is the fusion of scholarly inquiry with intentional advocacy and action. It transcends academic exploration by actively challenging systemic inequities and injustices, engaging marginalized communities, and driving tangible social change (hooks, 2003). Research as activism embodies a commitment to using research methodologies, epistemologies, personalized and institutional privilege, and accessible dissemination to dismantle oppressive structures, promote justice, and empower and centre voices often unheard, dismissed, silenced, or marginalized in traditional academic discourse or in community spaces (Eizadirad et al., 2023; Battiste, 2013; Simpson, 2017). As Audre Lorde (1984) emphasizes, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle …

Eviction In Oregon's Subsidized Affordable Housing, Yi Wang, Lisa K. Bates, Azad Amir-Ghassemi, Minji Cho, Marisa Zapata, Jacen Greene, Colleen Carroll, Devin Macarthur

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Despite Oregon's expanded investments in affordable housing development and eviction prevention, over 5,400 eviction cases were filed in the state’s subsidized housing from January 2019 to December 2023. This report maps out the landscape of subsidized housing eviction in Oregon and brings attention to the high share of eviction judgments in subsidized eviction cases, the disproportionate rate of eviction filings from housing-authority-contracted management companies and nonprofit housing providers, and the great disparities in legal representation between landlords and tenants.

Msw Portfolio, Briar Gaither

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

A look at my personal journey through the MSW program, what I experienced and learned, and what I gained. Features my many papers and projects from the program

Project Turnkey Evaluation, Anna Rockhill, Sarah Mercurio, Franklin Holcomb Spurbeck

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

In 2020-2021 Oregon legislators approved $74.7 million to assist communities to purchase local motels and convert them into emergency shelters. The goal was to help keep people safe during COVID and to address the need for housing for victims of the wildfires in light of the deficit of appropriate shelter resources facing the state. A total of 19 projects received funding, and by 2023 all of the projects were providing services to people experiencing homelessness. Combined, this resulted in 865 new units of emergency shelter-- a 20% increase in the state’s supply. According to an analysis done by Oregon Community …

White Guilt: An Ameliorative Proposal, William Moix

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Common in the philosophy of race literature – notably those centered on critiques of whiteness and the oppressive structures therein – we find that guilt is looked upon rather divisively. On one hand, representative of what I call the “abolitionist” position, we find that such states serve no function but to stifle progress towards social justice. Feeling such emotions in relation to one's race seems to lead necessarily to a retreat from the social endeavor of racial justice, resulting in selfish requests for absolution. On the other hand, representative of what I call the “proponent” position, we find prescriptions to …

Promoting Cultural Humility, Belonging, And Inclusion To Improve Well-Being Among Direct Care Staff In Oregon Assisted Living, Residential Care, And Memory Care Communities, 2024, Jacklyn Kohon, Dani Himes, Laura Rodriguez, Sarah Dys, Paula Carder, Diana Jacoby, Madeline Fox

Institute on Aging Publications

The voices and experiences of those working and living in assisted living, residential care, and memory care (AL/RC) settings in Oregon are highlighted in this study to understand cultural humility, belonging, inclusion, and intersectional experiences related to sustaining the workforce and promoting quality care. This qualitative study collected data through individual and focus group interviews with a total of 68 people, including 25 direct care staff, voice memos or interviews with 9 former direct care staff, interviews with 9 administrators, interviews with 7 management representatives (owner/operators, human resources specialists, directors of operations, among other titles), and interviews with 18 current …

A Place To Rest My Soul: How A Doctoral Student Of Color Group Utilized A Healing-Centered Space To Navigate Higher Education, Jessica I. Ramirez

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Students of Color have historically faced explicit and implicit forms of discrimination and oppression in educational settings. Unfortunately, not much has changed over the decades as Students of Color continue to experience white supremacy and other systems of oppression. As Students of Color enter graduate school, there are often fewer Students of Color, making these educational settings isolating and hostile. These experiences often encompass white supremacist policies, practices, and remarks that negatively impact Students of Color. With this in mind and as someone who identifies as a Chicana who was once in a doctoral program, I questioned how doctoral Students …

Conchas, Coloring Books, And Oxnard: Using Critical Race Counterstorytelling As A Framework To Create A Social Justice Coloring Book, Martín Alberto Gonzalez

Chicano/Latino Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

I am from Oxnard, California, a predominantly Latinx city that is stereotyped as “too hood”, “too ghetto”, or “crime-infested” because of its low-income Brown people. Such negative narratives are so commonplace that they become believable, but we can challenge these oppressive narratives using critical race counterstorytelling. There are multiple ways to tell a story, and I pride myself in producing counterstories that are accessible and enjoyable to mi gente. So, to encourage stay-at-home practices and empower my own community during the COVID-19 pandemic, I created a social justice coloring book with the help of artistic friends and local Oxnard Latinx …

Review Of The Meanings Of Discipleship: Being Disciples Then And Now, Cory T. Branham

Liberty Theological Review

Discipleship is not, and has never been, one specific thing, at one specific time, or place. Rather, it has a rich, but also often unflattering, history. That history is fool of ups, downs, rights, wrongs, twists, and turns. Discipleship in the Church can be viewed in two parts; The early Church through the Nineteenth Century being Part I (8). The explosion of Discipleship teachings and tactics that began in the Twentieth Century, and continues to the present, being Part II (9). Discipleship informs some believers to engage socially and politically yet encourages many believers to stay away from those circles.

Supporting Resource Equity For Oregon’S Home Visiting Workforce: Exploring Program Model And Regional Differences, Nicole M. Lauzus, Yumi Lee, Beth L. Green, Erin Gaines, Ron Joseph

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prenatal and early childhood home visiting is an effective strategy for promoting positive birth outcomes, improving family well-being and preventing child abuse and neglect. One key to successful services is having a strong, well-supported home visiting workforce. In Oregon and nationally, this critical workforce is facing a crisis as programs struggle to hire and retain skilled home visitors, and workers face low pay, difficult working conditions and high job stress.

This learning brief is the second in a series to share findings from a 2023 survey of Oregon’s home visiting workforce, which provides a wealth of information about how to …