The Social Justice Summit at Cal State San Bernardino, hosted by the Office of Student Engagement, focused on human rights and equality with insightful breakout sessions and an impactful keynote speech by Angela Rye — influential political strategist, social justice advocate and CNN political commentator.

The event, which took place on Feb. 17 in the Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center, opened with welcoming remarks from CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales, followed by speeches from Estefania Esparza, CSUSB senior and community outreach coordinator for the Undocumented Advocates student club; Margaret B. Hill, president of the board of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, CSUSB adjunct professor and CSUSB alumna; and Raul Maldonado, graduate assistant for the CSUSB Queer and Transgender Resource Center.

Rye, who delivered the keynote address in the afternoon, is principal and CEO of IMPACT Strategies, a political advocacy firm in Washington, D.C. Along with doing political commentary for CNN, she is also an NPR political analyst who has been featured as an influential politico, lawyer and advocate by numerous publications and outlets, such as Marie Claire, Ebony and The Washington Post. Rye has also offered on-air commentary for various well-known media outlets including BET, CNN, NBC, HBO, ABC, MSNBC and TV One.

A question-and-answer session followed Rye’s keynote speech, along with a meet-and-greet and a chance for attendees to take a photo with her.

The event featured two breakout sessions that aimed to teach attendees how to be change agents in their communities and covered the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society.

Attendees were also offered free lunch and the opportunity to sign up with local organizations that hosted tables during the event.