DNOVA Summit 2022

In April of 2022, the first Democratizing Northern Virginia (DNOVA) Summit gathered the energies and initiative of the many people of Northern Virginia who are working to build a regional community, economy, and politics that are truly inclusive, democratic, equitable, and sustainable at George Mason University.

Sponsored by Next System Studies, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and the Institute for Sustainable Earth at Mason, with the generous underwriting of the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce (VACC) and the Virginia Asian Foundation (VAF), the Summit gathered community members and academic scholars to explore the challenges and opportunities for a more equitable and inclusive Northern Virginia, learn from each other about community wealth, solidarity economy, and other next system initiatives, and discuss the findings of DNOVA's community-engaged research.  

 

The summit began with a fascinating keynote address from Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Thought and Practice, on the importance of African American Cooperatives as a form of resistance and a necessary means of building prosperity for marginalized peoples. This was followed by presentations on student research, as well as panel discussions featuring experts from the fields of local government, education, business, and social justice. Participants delved into the issues that are affecting the region and brainstormed ways to create a more equitable and inclusive future.

At Summit workshops, attendees were able to take part in interactive activities such as mapping exercises and data visualization and gain deeper understandings of the issues facing our communities. Participants also got hands-on experience with research methods and tools to better understand the region’s current state of affairs. 

Throughout the day, we shared our experiences and perspectives and learned from each other’s insights. In the final session, we came together to discuss the next steps for the project and the potential for further research.

To read the full DNOVA Summit 2022 program, click here. 

 

A Community-Campus Gathering: Building a NOVA for All

Saturday, April 23, 2022 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM EDT
Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall

Our entire region is changing rapidly and will continue to change for years to come. Northern Virginia will be very different in ten years.

What kind of region will this become? Whose interests and what purposes will our region serve? Who will decide? And how can universities play a positive role in the process?

 

Saturday, April 23rd, 10:00am-4:30pm

Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center of the George Mason University Fairfax Campus

Hosted by Democratizing NOVA, a project of Next System Studies and the Center for Social Science Research.

Sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Institute for Sustainable Earth at Mason, with the very generous underwriting of our lunch by the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce (VACC) and the Virginia Asian Foundation (VAF).