Social Justice Empowerment Experience: Champions of Justice

Overview

The Mississippi Center for Justice proudly celebrates the visionaries shaping a more just, equitable Mississippi. This year, we are honored to celebrate Angie Thomas, award-winning author and cultural voice for equity, as our keynote speaker and Champions of Justice honoree, alongside Jim Barksdale, founder, and Kelly Butler, former CEO of the Barksdale Reading Institute, whose transformative approach to literacy has advanced educational equity statewide. Additionally, we recognize William J. (Bill) Bynum, Founding Chief Executive Officer of HOPE; Cassandra Williams, President of Hope Credit Union; and Ed Sivak, President of Hope Enterprise Corporation, for their leadership in creating financial inclusion and opportunity in underserved communities across the Deep South.