Three panelists came together on Oct. 18 for a robust discussion on social change and the role of college students in today’s political reality.

The event, entitled, “Examining Barriers to Social Change: Challenges of Youth, Young Adults and Adults to Creating, Impacting, and Enacting Reform,” brought speakers, Tommy Jackson III, Marcus Bright, and Utz McKight, who all spoke on the importance of the importance of proposing, developing, and impacting social change.

The covered topics included organizational barriers, societal constructions, generational differences, and the role of diversity in society. All emphasized the role the individual has in effecting social change.

“You need to do it for yourself because the problem will never go away itself,” said Dr. Jackson, the Director of Advising for University at Kennesaw State University.

Bright, the Executive Director of Education for a Better America and adjunct instructor at Lynn University, added that UIS is ripe with opportunities for students looking to make a difference. 

“The opportunity of impacting changes motives me to have this conversation,” said Dr. Bright “And the institution that is the University of Illinois Springfield is the right place to have it, since many movements had begun at this college, which makes it a great place to exchange ideas.”

Bright has been working on promoting the development of education in the area, and writing and speaking on issues of public policy, social justice, and education. He believes it is important to expose college students to “different points of view.”

“Students need diverse education experiencers and life experiences to push forward in their lives,” he said. “Getting more information from different dynamics helps them have a better understanding of racial and cultural rules in our society.”