Daemen University’s HOPE Center welcomed over 140 local high school students to campus on Thursday, Nov. 13, for the 2025 National Federation for Just Communities (NFJC) Social Justice Conference. 
Students from Amherst, Hamburg, Lackawanna, Lockport, Williamsville South, North, and East, Lewiston-Porter, and CSAT attended the day-long seminar that featured a screening of the documentary “It is Up to Us” and a Q&A with filmmaker Stephen Rosenthal and actor Stephen McKinley Henderson.
Students also participated in engaging breakout sessions, including There Is Poetry in Your Story with Ekaete Bailey, Social Justice Through the Arts, and Breaking and Hip Hop Culture with Stacy “BGirl
Resolve” VanBlarcom.
“We were proud to be one of the sponsors of this social justice conference,” said Vice President of Institutional Equity & Belonging Tiffany Hamilton. “In addition to sparking compelling discussions among students and staff, it gave participants the opportunity to express their passions through a variety of mediums, including breakdancing, poetry, journaling and art, and film making and storytelling. We value our partnership with the NFJC because it enables us to educate today’s youth about the importance of social justice and inclusive leadership.”