21st Rosa Parks Symposium

Belonging is not, and should never be a scarce commodity. Yet time and again, history shows us that the presence of one group has been seen as a threat to another. Rosa Parks’ quiet courage reminds us that dignity and belonging should never be rationed, nor treated as a zero-sum game. Instead, belonging can be abundant, shared, and strengthened when extended to all.

The Centre for Inclusion and Diversity (CfID) is delighted to be hosting the 21st Annual Rosa Parks Symposium, a space to converge and engage in courageous conversations to reflect, challenge, and reimagine what belonging means in today’s world. The question - “does my belonging threaten your belonging?” is an invitation to pause and consider why, in so many contexts, one group’s inclusion is perceived as a loss for another.

The following thematic areas will guide our discussion and reflections for the day:

• The psychology of belonging and exclusion: Why inclusion can feel threatening, and how can we shift those perceptions?
• The role of power, systems and structures in shaping who belongs.
• Intersectionality and the layered experiences of belonging across race, gender, disability, faith, sexuality and class.
• Belonging across borders, in the context of migration, diaspora and global interdependence.
• Practical pathways for moving from scarcity to abundance: Embedding belonging in institutions, and communities.
• The power of arts, culture and storytelling to reimagine belonging as wide-ranging and inclusive.

These thematic areas will be explored through keynote presentations, panel/roundtable discussions, and art activities by local schools.

By engaging with our theme, we hope to spark curiosity, dialogue, and learning to move us closer to Rosa Parks’ vision of dignity, justice, and community for all. Rosa Parks Symposium is about more than discussion, it is about creating a collective space to listen, to question, and to learn. We welcome you to join us in this spirit of curiosity and courage as we honour Rosa Parks’ legacy and continue our shared journey toward justice, inclusion and community for all.

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Host or Publisher Equality & Diversity - University of Bradford