Miami Gardens, FL. – Florida Memorial University (FMU) has launched the Social Justice Institute on its Miami Gardens campus.

The Institute’s Founding Director is Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. The Social Justice Institute is a research institute and solutions-focused think-tank examining issues at the intersection of racial disparities and injustice in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida. The purpose of the FMU Social Justice Institute is to serve as a resource for creating and facilitating tangible reforms in order to achieve a more just and fair society. Its areas of focus include Criminal Justice, Educational Justice, Economic Justice, Civic Engagement, Gun Violence, System Racism, Health Justice, and Environmental Justice.

The FMU Social Justice Institute (FMU SJI), the African American Research Library and Cultural Center of Fort Lauderdale (AARLCC), and the South Florida People of Color (SFPoC), are launching a timely series of curated conversations based on readings that explore racial inequity called the South Florida Social Justice Common Read.

The South Florida Social Justice Common Read Series will bridge communities in both Broward and MiamiDade counties to create conversations built on shared reading experiences toward the goal of understanding and addressing social injustice and racial disparities. The program will engage the broader South Florida community in intentional, intercommunity, and intergenerational explorations of systemic racism and the need for change.

The first book selected for the series is Rest In Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the parents of Trayvon Martin and the founders of the Trayvon Martin Foundation. The South Florida Justice Common Read is excited to announce that Fulton and Martin will participate in a virtual event for the launch of the book series on Thursday, December 3, 2020, at 7:00pm. To take part, join us via Facebook Live or YouTube.

“Revisiting the story of Trayvon Martin is very important, given what we’ve seen this year,” said Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs, Founding Director of the FMU SJI. “The protests this year have meant a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s appropriate to revisit the tragedy that sparked this conversation eight years ago.”

The South Florida Social Justice Common Read Series encourages book clubs, churches, homeschoolers, educators, social organizations to join us as we take necessary steps to foster understanding and create racial equity within our communities. To get your group socialjustice@fmuniv.edu