Ron Idoko, SAFE peer educators win social justice awards

Pitt presented its two annual social justice awards at a luncheon on Jan. 26. 

Pitt gave the Creating a Just Community Award to Ron Idoko, associate director of Pitt’s Center on Race and Social Problems, and gave the University Prize for Strategic, Inclusive, & Diverse Excellence award to Sexual Assault Facilitation and Education peer educators. 

The Creating A Just Community Award recognizes the “outstanding efforts” of a Pitt employee in creating a more just, equitable, and inclusive community and comes with a $5,000 prize, according to the Office of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion’s website. The UPSIDE award is presented each year to a Pitt school, division, initiative or program area that has made “an outstanding effort toward increasing diversity and inclusion,” and it comes with a $10,000 prize.

As associate director, Idoko leads the Center on Race and Social Problem’s day-to-day operations and strategic and programmatic initiatives, according to his profile on the School of Social Work’s website. He also founded and directs the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute, which is an “expansive engagement platform” that guides learners and teachers through the critical systems thinking racial equity consciousness framework. 

SAFE peer educators are a group of trained students dedicated to cultivating conversations with their fellow students around topics such as relationship and sexual violence, supporting survivors, consent, interpersonal communication and bystander intervention, according to their website. SAFE presents workshops to members of student organizations, Greek Life, residence halls and more, and the goal of the program is to “eradicate sexual misconduct on Pitt’s campus and to promote healthy relationships.”