When people come together, they can ignite a transformative spark for change. For the organizers of the 2026 Equity Symposium at The Evergreen State College, the goal was to inspire students, faculty and the community towards new methods of social justice and liberation.
Evergreen has long been a place of engagement and passion. Their mission statement emphasizes a local and global commitment to social justice, diversity, environmental stewardship and service in the public interest. With this in mind, the Symposium aimed to learn around the fires of the past while tending to the flames that ignite and sustain us for the future.
United We Dream with Equity Symposium Keynote Speaker Cristina Jiménez Moreta
The Equity Symposium took place on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, with keynote speaker Cristina Jiménez Moreta, author and organizer.
Cholee Gladney, Evergreen’s Associate Dean of Equity and Belonging, says that this was the school’s eighth year hosting the event, which is made possible with support from The Evergreen State College Foundation and their donation from the Willi Unsoeld Fund.
“The Equity Symposium brings our community together with the goal of growing our knowledge and skills in the areas of equity, social justice and liberation,” explains Gladney. “Students, staff and faculty participate community-led workshops, social gatherings and featured speaker events focused on a central theme.”
This year’s theme of “Fires Rising” highlighted “fire as a symbol of destruction, but also a motivating force that can spark social change,” Gladney says. “At a time when many feel there are too many challenging fires making us feel disconnected from one another, we’re offering a space for learning, connection and belonging.”
Events, Activities and Shared Hope for a Bright Future at Evergreen’s Equity Symposium
Attendees could enjoy fire-themed workshops lead by students, staff, faculty and the community. These included:
- Fire Ecologies: Rekindling Indigenous Cultural Fire
- Singing Resistance- Lighting the Fire of Embodied Action from Coast to Coast
- Burning Down Barriers to the Outdoors: Tools and Skills for Increased Awareness, Belonging, and Safety Outside
- Finding and Sustaining Your Inner Fire: How to Build a Brighter Solarpunk Future
- Tending to Your Flame: A Framework to Prepare for and Process Emotions
- Rising after the Fire: Lessons from Fireweed
- From Targeting to Solidarity: Practical Skills for Resilient Movements in a Time of Detention
- Tending the Fire of Disability Justice: The Social Model of Disability and Imperative Allyship
- Gathering Around the Fire from the Margins of the Margins: Accelerating Resilience, Joy and Activism
Gladney and fellow organizers were encouraged by the creativity, themes and collaboration shown. Alongside workshops, guest speakers shared research on Indigenous education practices in Chile as well as the motivating words of United We Dream founder Cristina Jiménez Moreta.
Moreta was chosen because “the idea of the fire metaphor as devastating, but with the potential to mobilize communities comes through in Cristina’s story as written in her memoir Dreaming of Home which details her role as an organizer in the Dreamers movement during the 1990s and early 2000s,” explains Gladney.
The Equity Symposium Believes in Planning Ahead While Never Forgetting the Past
Olly Duffy, a second-year marine ecology student at Evergreen, presented a workshop based on their own experience with emotional regulation. For Duffy, this began as a tool to combat depression and now included tools for helping others working through difficult times.
“My favorite part of presenting this workshop each time—I have done two earlier versions of the same workshop in the social justice center on campus—is the participant and community engagement,” says Duffy. “I learn and receive so much from people opening up about these topics. I wanted to create space to share coping tools that were based in the lived experience of our community, and I was met with vulnerability, strength and hope that didn’t deny the struggles but brought them into a shared light.”
Duffy believes that support systems are vital in times of darkness and hopes that by sharing with others going through the ups, downs and storm of it all, those in need can find similar supporters to help them carry on.
Alauna Carstens also presented a workshop. Attendees included current and former classmates, teammates, professors, mentors and guests. Carstens spoke about plant teachings for social and emotional skills.
“One plant that stood out to me was fireweed because it represents resilience and positive change after a fire takes place,” Carstens says. “Fireweed stabilizes burned areas and creates a safe environment for new growth after a fire, and I saw it as a powerful way to open up conversations around systemic change and how community well-being can take root, using a fireweed care mapping framework.” Beyond sharing wellness, Carstens and the group made fireweed tea sachets to bring home and enjoy later.
Work on next April’s Symposium will be posted online in early 2027. Organizers hope to include as many students and alumni as possible, both as participants, leaders, speakers and attendees. Check back soon to find details and reserve your spot at this inspiring, socially igniting event.
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