We the Future Social Justice Conference 2023

 

Friday April 21st, 9:00am-2:30pm

Hosted by Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) and North Bay Organizing Project (NBOP)

This FREE day-long conference aims to raise consciousness and inspire action. For those feeling the call toward political engagement, We the Future offers an opportunity to build solidarity among activists of color, working-class folks, interfaith allies, feminists, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants and the undocumented, labor organizers, and environmentalists whose diverse work is united by a desire to build a more just, humane world.

This year’s theme, “Justice for the Generations: The New Realities of Work, School, and Identity,” emerges from the deep need to create a new and equitable future for all. After enduring three years of uncertainty due to the pandemic and the continuing challenges of climate change, the We The Future conference organizers understand that we cannot go back to “normal” and that “normal” wasn’t working, to begin with.  People are seeing a desire to shape a new way of functioning that will promote justice, equity, access, community care, and sustainability in all aspects of life for current and future generations. Attendees will explore the widespread and growing demand for flexible and supportive working environments, the shifting approaches in education, and the importance of identity formations and self-exploration after isolation.   

Our keynote speaker is Christian Smalls, the founder and president of the Amazon Labor Union, an independent, democratic, worker-led labor union at Amazon in Staten Island. He is also the founder of The Congress of Essential Workers (TCOEW), a nationwide collective of essential workers and allies fighting for better working conditions, better wages, and a better world. Smalls was formerly an Amazon warehouse supervisor, helping open three major warehouses in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut during his five years with the company, but he was fired in 2020 after organizing a protest against the company’s unsafe pandemic conditions. Smalls has been profiled by media outlets worldwide, including The New York Times, USA Today, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CBC Radio, Salon, and Jacobin.

For questions feel free to reach out to Kimi Barbosa, SRJC Petaluma at ksoeiro@santarosa.edu, 707-778-2427