People’s Research and Action Virtual Speaker Series

Join the Penn State Center Philadelphia for a series of transformative conversations with experts and leaders in community engaged research and practice. Every Wednesday this spring, we will explore topics designed to foster co-inquiry and cross-pollination.

Speakers will delve into critical issues surrounding research and community relations, including trust, power dynamics, ethics, and accountability. Together, we will confront current political crises and challenges to education, democracy, human rights, and innovation, aiming to empower community and university change makers with a sustainable, empathic, and powerful approach.

Speaker Series Events

Workshop: Launch of the Penn State Center Philadelphia Digital People's Participatory Research and Engagement Hub

When: May 28, 2025
Where: Online Event
This interactive session will introduce the vision for the hub and invite feedback from educators, organizers, researchers, and community members on how it can best support justice-oriented work.

Infusing Language Justice into Research and Practice with Multilingual Communities

When: June 4, 2025
Where: Online Event
This session will offer strategies for integrating language justice into participatory frameworks.

The Importance of Unlearning White Supremacy in Effective Community-Based Research

When: June 11, 2025
Where: Online Event
This session will examine how white supremacy shows up in research spaces — and how both researchers and communities can unlearn these patterns to foster healing and liberation, especially for Black and marginalized communities.

Overcoming Legacies of Harm and Mistrust in University-Community Research Partnerships in Times of Crises

When: June 18, 2025
Where: Online Event
Grounded in feminist and Indigenous perspectives, this session explores how legacies of colonialism and mistrust continue to impact university–community research.

Participatory Action Research and Accountability for Overcoming Tokenization Tendencies in Research

When: June 25, 2025
Where: Online Event
This session invites researchers and organizers to confront extractive or tokenizing research practices.

July 2025

A Roundtable Discussion with All Speakers from the Series — Reflecting, Assessing, and Looking Forward

Moderated by Dr. Kristen Goessling and Carly Pourzand

All speakers from the series will return for a collaborative roundtable to reflect on lessons learned, assess collective progress, and envision next steps for community-based research and engagement.