On April 5, 2024, Community Relations Manager, Janel Gomez, attended a symposium for the Chancellor’s Call to Action to Address Racism & Social Injustice. In 2020, Chancellor Robert J. Jones announced a $2 million annual commitment to support research that examines racism and social injustice. Over two dozen projects have been sponsored by this year’s commitment and they were invited to present posters, lightning fast “ignite” talks, and to discuss their research. At this year’s symposium, one of the projects highlighted was Evaluation of the LIFT Champaign Program. The LIFT program is a partnership between Champaign Unit 4 Schools and the City of Champaign. LIFT focuses on African American youth and their families who are experiencing challenges academically and personally.