The Social Justice Portal Project is a left-of-center think tank at the University of Illinois-Chicago. It is dedicated to connecting academics and intellectuals with community-based organizations and political activists to formulate strategies for social activism. ¹ The Project is managed by the Social Justice Initiative, a unit of the University’s Office of the Provost. ²

History

Founded in 2021, the Project was slated to continue through Spring 2023 and to culminate with a national conference and publication of a series of booklets. ³ The booklets were to be printed by Haymarket Books, a publisher of works that “contribute to the struggles for social and economic justice and…development of a critical, engaged, and internationalist Left.” ⁴

No record of a national conference appears online, and the promised booklet series is not listed on Haymarket’s website. ⁵ One of the Project’s workshop events, Maroon University, is expected to be repeated in 2024. ⁶

Activities

The goal of the Social Justice Portal Project is to break down barriers between community activists and university researchers to map “visions for transformative change.” ⁷ To that end, it convenes intellectuals, activists, community organizers, and artists in conversations and activities designed to “address the urgent questions of racial and social justice.” ⁸

Their collective work focuses on abolishing prisons and the police (abolition), ⁹ shared ownership and decision making over community power and economic resources (economic democracy), ¹⁰ and addressing the causes of climate change through targeting social, racial, and environmental injustices (climate justice). ^{11 12}

The 100 Project participants are divided into two cohorts of Fellows and four cohorts of Collaborators. ¹³

The Marielle Franco Fellows, named after a deceased Brazilian community activist, are a group of five well known left-wing and radical-left writers and university professors: Angela Davis, Christiane Gomes, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Naomi Klein, and Robin Kelley. ¹⁴

The Margaret Burroughs Fellows are 19 activists from organizations such as The Center for Third World Organizing, The Chicago Torture Justice Center, Mijente, and Movement for Black Lives. ¹⁵

Collaborators are drawn from left-of-center public-interest law firms, university faculty, and nonprofit public policy, community organizing, and advocacy groups, as well as research centers affiliated with the University of Chicago, The New School, Columbia University, and UCLA. ^{16 17} Eight artists are mentioned, several being from the film industry. ¹⁸

Since 2021, the Social Justice Portal Project has generated YouTube videos, ¹⁹ a single podcast, ²⁰ a documentary short with music on police and prison abolition, ²¹ and a week-long workshop on social justice. ²²

Funding

The Project was funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Marguerite Casey Foundation. The Foundation characterizes its contribution as “aimed at shifting the balance of power in society to those who have long been excluded from having it.” ²³

Leadership

Barbara Ransby directs the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois-Chicago, the program hosting the Social Justice Portal Project. She is John D. MacArthur Chair and Distinguished Professor in the Departments of African American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, and History, and the author of three books and numerous articles in academic journals and the left-of-center popular press. She was educated at Columbia University and the University of Michigan. ^{24 25 26}

1. “About – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 7, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/about/
2. “About – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 7, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/about/
3.  “UIC’s Social Justice Initiative Portal Project Awarded $1.5M Grant | UIC Today.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://today.uic.edu/uics-social-justice-initiative-portal-project-awarded-1-5m-grant/
4. haymarketbooks.org. “Haymarket Books.” Accessed March 8, 2024. http://www.haymarketbooks.org
5.  haymarketbooks.org. “Haymarket Books.” Accessed March 8, 2024. http://www.haymarketbooks.org
6. “Maroon University | Social Justice Initiative | University of Illinois Chicago.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://sji.uic.edu/maroonu/
7. “Collaborative Justice-Centered Think Tank Launches at UIC – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 9, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/news/collaborative-justice-centered-think-tank-launches-at-uic/
8. “About – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 7, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/about/
9. Stein, Rachel. “Library Guides: Abolition: A World without Prisons & Police: What Is Abolition?” Accessed March 9, 2024. https://libguides.tulane.edu/abolition/what_is_abolition
10. The Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative. “What Is Economic Democracy?” Accessed March 9, 2024. https://bcdi.nyc/economic-democracy
11. UC Center for Climate Justice. “What Is Climate Justice?” Accessed March 9, 2024. https://centerclimatejustice.universityofcalifornia.edu/what-is-climate-justice/
12.  “Renowned Scholars And Activists Come Together to Launch a Movement-Oriented Social Justice Think Tank – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 9, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/news/renowned-scholars-and-activists-come-together-to-launch-a-movement-oriented-social-justice-think-tank/
13. “About – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 7, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/about/
14. “Marielle Franco Fellows – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/participants/fellows/marielle-franco-fellows/
15.  “Margaret Burroughs Fellows – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/participants/fellows/margaret-burroughs-fellows/
16. “Collaborators – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/participants/collaborators/
17. “Institutes & Centers – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 9, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/participant_type/institutes-centers/
18. “Institutes & Centers – Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 9, 2024. https://sjiportalproject.com/participant_type/institutes-centers/
19. ^[1] YouTube. “Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=social+justice+portal+project
20. YouTube. “Social Justice Portal Project.” Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=social+justice+portal+project
21. “Abolition Documentary by The Social Justice Portal Project and Taína Asili | Social Justice Initiative | University of Illinois Chicago.” Accessed March 10, 2024. https://sji.uic.edu/abolition/
22. “Maroon University | Social Justice Initiative | University of Illinois Chicago.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://sji.uic.edu/maroonu/
23. “UIC’s Social Justice Initiative Portal Project Awarded $1.5M Grant | UIC Today.” Accessed March 8, 2024. https://today.uic.edu/uics-social-justice-initiative-portal-project-awarded-1-5m-grant/
24. Google Scholar. “Barbara Ransby.” Accessed March 10, 2024. https://scholar.google.com/
25. Muck Rack. “Barbara Ransby.” Accessed March 10, 2024. https://muckrack.com/barbara-ransby
26. “Staff Profiles | Social Justice Initiative | University of Illinois Chicago.” Accessed March 10, 2024. https://sji.uic.edu/about-sji/staff-profiles/