Deepa Iyer re-imagines ecosystems for social change
In an era of increased isolation where civic deserts, disinformation, and technological dependence separate us from one another, how can we reimagine our capacity for deeper connection and sustainable collaboration in our current reality? Deepa Iyer, a social justice advocate, will lead an exploration of the pathways that strengthen ecosystems for social change in her talk titled “Re-imagine: Our Social Change Ecosystems” on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 4 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room.
Deepa Iyer is a South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer. Her work is rooted in Asian American, South Asian, Muslim, and Arab communities where she spent fifteen years in policy advocacy and coalition building in the wake of the September 11th attacks and ensuing backlash. Currently, Deepa leads projects on solidarity and social movements at the Building Movement Project, a national nonprofit organization that catalyzes social change through research, strategic partnerships, and resources for movements and nonprofits. She conducts workshops and trainings, uplifts narratives through the “Solidarity Is This” podcast, and facilitates solidarity strategy for cohorts and networks.
Deepa’s first book, We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future (2015), chronicles community-based histories in the wake of 9/11 and received a 2016 American Book Award. Her debut children’s picture book, We Are The Builders!, was released in 2024.
Deepa’s book Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection (2022) is a practical guide for those on journeys towards justice, equity, and solidarity. It introduces an ecosystems framework that
includes ten roles that many people play in service of social change values. Over the past three years, individuals and organizations around the world have used the social change ecosystem framework to respond to the pandemic, express solidarity during the uprisings against anti-Black racism, and support multiracial coalitions struggling for reproductive rights, immigrant and refugee protections, and climate justice. Free copies of Social Change Now will be available at Iyer’s talk.
Iyer is the UO’s 2024–25 Lorwin Lecturer in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Her talk, part of the OHC’s “Re-imagine” series, is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed and recorded. Please register at ohc.uoregon.edu