What does it mean to build justice into the very structures where we live, work, and gather? In this visionary keynote, Dr. Ruha Benjamin—Princeton professor and author of Race After Technology and Imagination: A Manifesto—invites architects, planners, and designers to examine how the built environment intersects with systems of inequality, surveillance, and technological bias.  As today’s political landscape brings renewed attention to civil rights rollbacks, discriminatory zoning practices, and the racialized deployment of surveillance technologies in public space, Dr. Benjamin draws from her groundbreaking concept of the "New Jim Code" to expose how architecture and design can unwittingly replicate systemic harm. Yet she also offers an inspiring framework for reimagining design as a tool of resistance, care, and collective liberation.

On Friday, October 10th, President Bryan C. Lee Jr. sat with Cal and Michael Brown Sr. for a keynote luncheon exploring the vital role of community centers in today’s cities. Through personal stories and powerful dialogue, they highlighted how these spaces can heal, unite, and empower neighborhoods, serving as anchors of resilience and equity.