Special Collections Research Center Syracuse Symposium Programming Featuring Kelly Hayes
The Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), with major support from the Syracuse University Humanities Center Symposium on ‘Dreams!,’ is hosting a series of programs featuring Kelly Hayes, author of Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis and co-author of Let This Radicalize You. Programming is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Lecture: “The Work of Being Human Together”
Friday, October 23, 2026, from 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Bird Library, Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Room 114.
Light reception to follow on the 6th floor.
Hayes will draw on her experience as an organizer, movement educator and storyteller to explore how people sustain one another, remain human together and expand their sense of what is possible in times of crisis. Reflecting on recent movements and the relationships, imagination and collective practices that make resistance possible, Hayes will weave together a talk about the world-changing work activists can dream into existence.
Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided. If you require an accessibility accommodation or have dietary needs, please contact Max Wagh at mlwagh@syr.edu by Monday, October 12.
Coffee Hour with Activist, Author and Educator Kelly Hayes
Friday, October 23, 2026, from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Tolley Humanities Building, Room 304.
Students, faculty and staff from the SU community are invited to engage directly with Kelly Hayes over coffee about their own interests related to activist work, whether that be engaging directly in activism, scholarly inquiry or other aspects of community organizing and direct actions. This casual setting allows attendees to network and converse with Hayes and each other about work happening in the Syracuse area and beyond.
This Coffee Hour is sponsored by The Lender Center for Social Justice.
If you require an accessibility accommodation, please contact Max Wagh at mlwagh@syr.edu by Monday, October 12.
Workshop: Storytelling in Protests and Direct Actions
Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Community Folk Art Center (805 E Genesee St).
Registration required by emailing mlwagh@syr.edu.
Kelly Hayes will lead a workshop on Storytelling in Protests and Direct Actions for members of the SU and local communities. Hayes is an experienced protest leader and organizer who has trained and led workshops for thousands of activists and participants in direct actions. They are also a movement photographer who uses that medium to tell stories of activism in action.
Due to limited space available onsite for the workshop, advance registration is required by emailing Max Wagh, mlwagh@syr.edu. Lunch will be provided for workshop attendees; if you require an accessibility accommodation or have dietary needs, please contact Max Wagh at mlwagh@syr.edu by Monday, October 12.
These programs are presented in conjunction with the Special Collections Research Center’s exhibition, We Demand! A Legacy of Activism in America, which features collections documenting how individuals and groups have fought to expand rights, challenge injustice and transform American life throughout history.
This event is part of Syracuse Symposium’s year-long series on “Dreams,” presented by the Syracuse University Humanities Center.
Co-sponsorship funding provided by the Department of Art & Music Histories, Department of Religion, Engaged Humanities Network, History Department, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict & Collaboration (PARCC), and The Lender Center for Social Justice. Additional funding was provided by the Kashi and Kameshwar C. Wali Endowment.