UMass Boston

Black Cultural Resilience in Challenging Times

Still We Rise...

UMass Boston is proud to announce the sixth annual Black Lives Matter (BLM) Day event for 2025.

• Monday, November 3, 2025
• 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
• Campus Center Ballroom

This year’s theme is “Still We Rise…Black Cultural Resilience in Challenging Times.”

Across the country, Black culture is under attack, from rollbacks on diversity and inclusion to campaigns erasing critical race theory in schools and workplaces. These are not just debates about policy; they are direct challenges to how Black people live, create, and thrive.
 
This year’s program will explore what Black culture is, how erasure has happened across history and continues today, and how emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, are shaping the struggle. Participants will be invited to reflect and take part in acts of resistance, imagining new ways to protect freedom and justice through culture.
 
Still We Rise is part of a UMass Boston series of events that shine a light on these threats while celebrating the creativity and resilience of the Black community.

Activities include a panel discussion, artistic performances, a keynote featuring a distinguished speaker, and a community fair featuring local organizations and campus partners.

Agenda & Speaker Bios

Agenda

Speaker Bios

Keynote speaker: Imari K. Paris Jeffries, PhD

Imari K. Paris Jeffries, ‘97, G’99, G’03, PhD’23, is the President and CEO of Embrace Boston, where he is leading a citywide racial equity transformation through The Embrace monument, the Embrace Center, and ongoing community organizing efforts. He is a four-time graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston and serves on the Board of Trustees.

Panelist: Catherine T. Morris

Catherine Jones is the founding artistic director of Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Festival, a fast-growing urban, multidisciplinary arts festival that celebrates Afro-centric identity and Black artistry. The mission of BAMS Fest is to strengthen the artistic ecosystem for Greater Boston neighborhoods, artists, creatives, cultural workers, and small businesses of color.

Panelist: Jazzmyn RED

Jazzmyn RED is an award-winning artist, educator, DEIB leader, and U.S. Ambassador of Hip Hop and Cultural Exchange whose work sits at the intersection of cultural expression, social justice, and educational transformation. She is the creator of The Hip Hop Experience and has mentored artists and youth in over 10 countries.

Panelist: Wil Jones

Wil Jones is an urban planner, technologist, and designer working at the intersection of community data, climate resilience, and digital infrastructure. A graduate of MIT’s Master’s in City Planning program, Wil is now the cofounder and leader of Ground3d, a nonprofit community planning practice. 

Panelist: Nicholas Johnson

Nicholas Johnson is a community-engaged resorative justice practitioner and doctoral candidate in Global Inclusion and Social Development at UMass Boston. He is the founder of Culturally Rooted Reformations and a graduate assistant for UMass Boston’s Restorative Justice Commission.