Racial Justice Summit 2026 | Hosted by YWCA Madison

IN PERSON at the Monona Terrace in Madison, WI on October 7 | VIRTUAL on October 8
About this Event


OPTIONS FOR REGISTRATION

Virtual & In-Person Ticket: $300

This ticket includes access to all In Person Experiences happening at the Monona Terrace in Madison, WI on Wednesday, October 7, as well as to Virtual Experiences happening on Thursday, October 8.

In Person Ticket: $200

This ticket includes access to all In Person experiences happening on October 7 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI.
It does not include access to Virtual experiences.

Virtual Ticket: $100

This ticket includes access to all Virtual experiences happening on Ocotber 8, as well as to the featured BIPOC Creatives & Justice Inititatives Pop Up at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center on October 7.
It does not include access to other In Person experiences.

Collective Ticket | Virtual & In Person: $200/person in the group

This ticket is an opportunity to attend the Summit at a discounted rate by gathering a group of 5 or more people to register and pay together.

These tickets include access to all In Person experiences happening on Wednesday, October 7 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI, as well as to all Virtual experiences happening on Thursday, October 8.

If you would like support for the coordination needed to get your group registered, you can which includes all of the information you will need to gather from the attendees in your group for the registration process.

Collective Ticket| In Person Only: $150/person in the group

This ticket is an opportunity to attend the Summit at a discounted rate by gathering a group of 5 or more people to register and pay together.

These tickets include access to all In Person experiences happening on October 7 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI.
They do not include access to Virtual experiences.

If you would like support for the coordination needed to get your group registered, you can which includes all of the information you will need to gather from the attendees in your group for the registration process.

Collective Ticket | Virtual Only: $50/person in the group

This ticket is an opportunity to attend the Summit at a discounted rate by gathering a group of 5 or more people to register and pay together.

These tickets include access to all Virtual experiences happening on Thursday, October 8.
They do not include access to In Person Experiences on Wednesday, October 7.

If you would like support for the coordination needed to get your group registered, which includes all of the information you will need to gather from the attendees in your group for the registration process.

Elder Discounted Tickets (Ages 60 and above): $75 - $225

The Elder tickets are available to people that are 60 years old and above.

We created these tickets with the intention of creating access for Elders for whom financial barriers would prevent them from being able to pay full price.

• If you are over 60 years old and are able to pay full price, we invite you to do so.
• If this discounted rate is not within your financial capabilities, we invite you to request a scholarship.

If you are 60+, and would like to register at a discounted rate,. A member of our team will follow up directly to provide you with the information needed to access this these tickets.

Young Adult Discounted Tickets (Age 18-27): $50 - $150

The Young Adult ticket is available to people between 18 and 27 years old and was created with students, early career professionals, and ongoing learners in mind.

If you are between 18 and 27 years old, and would like to register at the discounted rate of 50% off full price, please . A member of our team will follow up directly to provide you with the information needed to access this these tickets.

Youth + Chaperone Group Tickets: $50/per person

Youth + Chaperone Tickets are available for people in grades 9-12 joining the Summit and any adult chaperone(s) who will be coordinating the experience.

This ticket allows youth and their chaperone(s) full access to the Summit, including access to all In Person experiences happening on Wednesday, October 7 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI, as well as to all Virtual experiences happening on Thursday, October 8.

**Please note that youth attending any in-person experience must have the written consent of an adult caretaker and be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Transportation to attend the in-person day must also be arranged by chaperones.**

If you would like to access this ticket, please . Someone from our team will follow up with more details on how to complete the registration.

Scholarships:

Scholarships are available for people for whom finances are a barrier to be able to attend. People that would like to request a scholarship can fill out .

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions about scholarships via email to [email protected].

ACCESSIBILITY

The Summit will feature American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and captioning in English for all Virtual plenary offerings.

In-person gatherings will be held at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. Accessibility information for the Monona Terrace can be found here. There are all-gender restrooms available on the 4th (main) floor of the Monona Terrace.

Although the Summit is not a fragrance free event, we ask in-person Summit attendees to limit their personal use of products that contain fragrance to a minimum (i.e perfumes, lotions, room sprays, sanitizers, etc.) as these can trigger serious health issues for people with chemical sensitivities. You can learn more about why engaging in this collective behavioral change matters here.

You will have the opportunity to name your accessibility requests as part of the registration process. If you require any additional accommodation or service, or if you are experiencing any accessibility issues with the registration site, please email [email protected] with your request. We kindly request advance notice if you have access needs.

PAYMENT METHODS

It is our preference that registrants pay with a credit card at the time of registration. If you are not able to pay with a card, additional payment options are available.
Please contact [email protected] if this is an accommodation you need.

REFUND AND SUBSTITUTION POLICIES

Refund Policy

The deadline for participants to cancel their registration for the 2026 Racial Justice Summit is as follows:

• In order to receive a refund (minus administrative fees), we need to receive your cancellation by September 23, 2026. Any cancellations received afterwards will not be eligible for a refund.

If you pay via credit card, you will receive a refund back to your credit card. It may take two to three days to appear on your account from the date the refund is processed.

Please contact [email protected] to request a refund for the 2026 Racial Justice Summit.

Substitution Policy

Prior to September 23, registrants who are no longer able to attend have the option to transfer their registration to someone else.

In order to transfer your registration to another person who can attend in your place, please email [email protected] with your substitution request and including the person who will be attending.
The person to whom the registration is being transfered will need to provide us with additional information.

HEALTH & COMMUNITY CARE FOR IN PERSON EXPERIENCES

For all of our in-person experiences, we will be following the guidance of the CDC and Public Health Madison & Dane County for large gatherings. Hand sanitation will be readily available.

CONTACT

If you have any questions, please contact the following people:

For Sponsorship questions, please contact Vera Lewis - [email protected].

For any other questions, please email [email protected].

IN PERSON | Wed. Oct 7

🕑: 09:00 AM - 04:30 PM
IN PERSON at the MONONA TERRACE in Madison, WI | Wednesday, October 7th
🕑: 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Plenary Facilitated Institute with Featured Practitioner

Info: Facilitated Institute with a Featured Practitioner for all Summit attendees to attend!

🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch, Rest, & Socialziation

Info: Community Free Time for Lunch and to visit the Pop Up of BIPOC Creators & Justice Initiatives, and for socializing and/or individual reflection. Stop by between 12pm-5pm.

🕑: 01:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Afternoon Institutes and Sessions

Info: Institutes will offer Summit attendees the opportunity to dedicate three hours to be in a community of practice with peers focused on a specific content area. Summit Institutes will be led by local, regional, and/or national guest practitioners to strengthen their personal and relational practice, as well as deepen their understanding of building community and power for racial justice and co-liberation. 45 minute and 90 minute Sessions will also be offered as an opportunity for attendees to be in community around a chosen area of their practice in collaboration with local and regional practitioners, educators, artists, authors, and advocates.

🕑: 04:15 PM - 04:30 PM
Closing Plenary Experience

Info: This closing experience invites attendees to close our In-person Summit experience in beloved community, to thus transition into our virtual experience on Thursday, October 8th.

VIRTUAL | Thurs. Oct 8

🕑: 09:00 AM - 04:30 PM
VIRTUAL | Thursday, October 8th
🕑: 09:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Opening Keynote
🕑: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Connection & Reflective Processing Spaces

Info: Connect with other participants in either the Justice Meetup or Identity Based Practice Spaces.... Racial justice movement building is linked and interwoven with many other dimensions of movements for justice. Summit attendees will have the opportunity to make connections in unmoderated virtual spaces between their ongoing racial justice practice and others working in specific justice movements, including restorative justice, gender justice, immigration justice, disability justice, climate justice, and more.

🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Lunch & Rest
🕑: 12:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Virtual Breakout Sessions

Info: These afternoon content-based virtual sessions will be offered by local and regional practitioners, educators, artists, authors, and advocates as an opportunity for attendees to be in community around a chosen area of their practice. Sign up is required for these sessions. More information about session topics and an opportunity to sign-up will be sent to eligible Summit attendees after registration closes.

🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Closing VIRTUAL Generative Dialogue

Info: FEATURING: This will be a collective conversation with local and regional guests that build on this year’s invitation Casting Bold Visions: Healing & Activating from the Roots. By connecting multigenerational and multiethnic individuals to share their stories, experiences, and insights, the generative dialogues provide attendees an opportunity to examine the intertwined levels of their own stories, experiences, and insights.