Dé Bryant Ph.D. 
is the Director of the Social Action Project (SOCACT), an action research project operating in South Bend, IN and Durban, South Africa. The SOCACT does asset-based community building in partnership with activists and organizations. Currently, the SOCACT joint initiatives address the School to Prison Pipeline; interfaith initiatives for social justice; and public teach-ins to catalyze difficult conversations, political engagement, and strategic futuring.
The SOCACT received the Indiana University Erlich Award for excellence in community-based initiatives; Indiana University South Bend nominated the Social Action Project for the President’s “Thousand Points of Light” award for initiatives that have positive influence in communities.
Dr. Bryant is a Lundquist Fellow of Indiana University South Bend, awarded to a meritorious faculty for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and innovative community ; the YWCA Woman of the Year award in Civil and Human Rights; and the City of South Bend’s Black History award honoring leaders who have made major contributions to the history and well-being of neighborhoods in South Bend.
Mobilizing Ideas 