Social Justice Initiative Events and Programs

Quenna Barrett is a theater artist + practitioner whose work gathers folks of diverse backgrounds, centers marginalized identities, learns from Black radical wisdom, and then dreams collectively to act boldly through those learnings. Quenna is a director, performer, facilitator, and writer, specializing in devised and social justice theater. She has developed participatory, justice-andtheater-based programs at the University of Chicago’s Arts + Public Life and at Goodman Theatre. She is Assistant Professor of Applied Theatre in GovState's Theatre and Performance Studies program.

Ben Almassi is Professor of Philosophy, Program Coordinator for Interdisciplinary Studies, and Affiliated Faculty in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Political & Social Justice Studies at GSU. His most recent book Nontoxic: Masculinity, Allyship, and Feminist Philosophy was published in Sept. 2022. His new project focuses on indigenous burning practices and environmental justice.

Jelena Radovic-Fanta is an Associate Professor of Anthropology & Sociology at GSU and her research examine labor, gender, and migration in the Chilean grape industry; first generation college student experiences; and her most recent project with Eliot Fackler, environmental justice in the south suburbs.

Eliot Fackler is an Assistant professor of History and Director of First Year Seminar at GSU. He is also a founding director of the Southland History Collective. He researches and writes about settler colonialism and environmental change in United States history. His newest project with Jelena Radovic-Fanta looks at water poisoning in our University Park community.

Negin Almassi has worked for the Forest Preserves of Cook County since 2012, as a naturalist for ten years, and currently as the Resource Management Training Specialist. In this role she coordinates field trainings on such topics as Practical Herbicide, First Aid, Chainsaw Feller I, and Certified Arborist courses. She also curates an entomology collection at Sagawau Environmental Learning Center, and volunteer leads the Singing Insect Monitoring Program (singinginsects.net).