We the Future Social Justice Conference
Presented by Santa Rosa Junior College and North Bay Organizing Project
Friday, April 28 2017
SRJC Petaluma Campus
8:00AM – 9:00AM
Registration and Morning Snack
Student Center, Building 400
9:00AM – 10:00AM
Opening Remarks
Carole L. Ellis Auditorium, Building 300
Poem by Karym Sanchez, North Bay Organizing Project
Welcome from Dr. Frank Chong, SRJC President
Keynote Speech by Alicia Sanchez
10:30AM – 11:45AM
SESSION 1
Healthcare Is a Social Justice Issue
Presenters: Kim Caldewey, MPH; Erin Hawkins, MS
Room: Jacobs 123
Our health and well-being is greatly influenced by a web of social and environmental conditions: where we live, where we go to school, how much money we earn, who we interact with and how. These social determinants of health impact our behavior and our ability to exercise a range of human rights. In this session, you'll learn about the connections between these conditions and your health.
Organizing for Direct Action
Presenters: Diane Wheeler, Shirley Bennett, Kelly Brothers, Kathryn Jurik
Room: Jacobs PC 124
This workshop will teach the basics of “direct action,” one of the most effective forms of social protest. Members of Community Action Coalition (CAC) will provide a basics training for those who feel compelled to speak up and take action, while members of Organizing for Action (formerly Obama for America) will share past work on issues ranging from immigration reform to climate change to women's rights.
Micro-Aggressions: Steps on the Path to Becoming More Anti-racist
Presenters: Dinah Bachrach, Margaret Sorrel
Room: Jacobs 126
This workshop explores combating racism through the lens of micro-aggressions: common verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities by white people, whether intentional or unintentional, that can communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color. All people are welcome, especially white people who are beginning their anti-racism journey.
Art and Activism
Presenters: Jessica Layton, Val Killmore Castro, Dr. Heidi Saleh, Hannah Skoonberg
Room: Doyle 205
A panel discussion about art as a form of activism and organizing tool, covering multidisciplinary art forms including photography, printmaking, moving image and art history. This discussion will give insight into how these two spheres collide in the context of our current political and cultural climate.
Engaging Student Leaders in Creating Social Change
Presenters: Dawn Larison, Robert Ethington, Ryan Sansome
Room: Doyle 207
Students have historically been key agents of social change. This workshop explores the steps leaders employ to make change happen, both personally and collectively. The presenters will provide tools and training on how to be an organized and effective change agent on campus and in the community.
Communicating with your Local Police
Presenters: Ken Savano and Robert Brownlee
Room: Doyle 243
Petaluma Police Department Chief Ken Savano and SRJC District Police Lieutenant Robert Brownlee will provide a brief overview of their Departments and will then moderate an open roundtable discussion with the attendees on social justice and other relevant topics. This is your chance to ask a police officer questions!
Limitless: Closing Student Equity Gaps
Presenters: Devanie Zarco, Miguelina Mendez, Ellen Velazquez Muralles, Gisele Vivas, Alexia Carrillo
Room: Call 656
Nationwide data shows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are not achieving their academic goals at the same rate as the average population. These student leaders have some clear ideas of how to close the equity gap in access and success for underrepresented student groups.
Where the Gays At? Making Spaces More Welcoming for LGBTQI People
Presenters: Eliseo Rivas, Pat Santiago
Room: Call 657
This session will share ways to make organizing spaces more welcoming to LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex) people. We will go through practical do's and don’ts to make your space safer for LGBTQI folk. Join members of the youth nonprofit LGBTQ Connections to practice tools and techniques through role playing to deepen your learning.
People Power! Intro to Community Organizing
Presenter: Karym Sanchez
Room: Call 658
This workshop will introduce participants to the Gamaliel model of community organizing which emphasizes building power. Participants will be introduced to the tools of community organizing and the notion of being intentional about how we build power in the community to live out our values in the political arena.
1:15PM – 2:30PM
SESSION 2
Media Literacy in a Community Context
Presenter: Domenica Giovannini
Room: Jacobs 123
With the advent of social media and “fake news,” the way we get our information about big issues is varied and chaotic, and it’s hard to know what’s accurate and what’s not. This interactive workshop will help you navigate the seas of misinformation, learn to detect media bias, as well as use social media creatively to advocate for social change.
Standing Up for Kids and Families
Presenters: Pamela Van Halsema, Buzzy Martin
Room: Jacobs PC 124
Includes a musical performance! California has one of the world's most powerful economies, yet our children rank 47th in the nation for standard of living. In this presentation, local activists share their advocacy work fighting for the rights and improved lives of kids and families, including statewide efforts to pass a Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.
Hip Hop as Pedagogy and Transformative Practice
Presenters: Alex Templeton
Room: Jacobs 126
Hip Hop is the language of the oppressed, but this language isn’t always channeled through mainstream education or activism. This interactive workshop will explore hip-hop as a tool for critical thinking about topics such as Hyper-Masculinity and social inequality, as well as a social practice that can empower and engage community.
People Power! Intro to Community Organizing
Presenter: Karym Sanchez
Room: Doyle 205
This workshop will introduce participants to the Gamaliel model of community organizing which emphasizes building power. Participants will be introduced to the tools of community organizing and the notion of being intentional about how we build power in the community to live out our values in the political arena.
Making Sense of Healthcare and Politics: Where We Are and Where We’re Going
Presenters: Toni Ramirez, MD, Sevy Gurule, MD; Terry Winter RN, MPH
Room: Doyle 207
Healthcare is a hot topic in Washington and locally. Your Sonoma County doctors and nurses, united by a common conviction that health is a human right, are transforming into community activists to fight for health. Join us for an analysis of the current state of affairs and proposals for the future.
Self-Determination and Sovereignty: Palestine and Native Americans
Presenters: Therese Mughannam-Walrath, Lois Pearlman, Rebel Fagin, Patrick O'Connell
Room: Doyle 243
This workshop will connect the dots between the ongoing struggles of the Palestinian people, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the ethnic cleansing and land seizures suffered by native peoples here at home.
Race, Sport, and the Myth of Meritocracy
Presenters: Dr. Lauren Morimoto, Byron Reaves
Room: Call 656
This presentation takes a look at race relations within the world of intercollegiate and professional sports, challenging the idea that the ascension of black athletes in American football and basketball is an example of the equal opportunities afforded to black Americans in the broader society. It will also explore recent expressions of black athletic activism and the price one pays (historically and currently) for being a "woke" black athlete.
Sonoma County Law Enforcement in the Time of Trump: What It Means for You
Presenters: Susan Lamont, Karen Nyhus, Kelly Brothers, Michael Titone
Room: Call 657
Members of the Police Brutality Coalition of Sonoma County discuss the history of law enforcement in Sonoma County and the people from whom it derives its power; trends in law-enforcement training and militarization; treatment of people of color, people with mental illness and the homeless by local law enforcement; and the Sonoma County Sheriff's connections with the Trump administration and their efforts to deport undocumented county residents.
2:45PM – 4:00PM
SESSION 3
Understanding Whiteness
Presenters: Judy Helfand, Wendy Millstine
Room: Jacobs 123
Inviting dialog and self-reflection, this interactive workshop uses a tested model for understanding whiteness and unraveling racism. We will explore what whiteness is, how it affects us personally, and practical skills for breaking the habits that perpetuate white supremacy in our community.
LGBTQI/Queer Writing Workshop
Presenter: July Westhale
Room: Jacobs PC 124
This workshop, geared specifically towards LGBTQI/Queer students, will feature a brief lecture on intersectionality (personal vs. national identity), followed by a free write. We will be addressing techniques used in Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way", and Kim Addonizio's "Ordinary Genius." Participants will develop style, voice, and craft skills, as well as the opportunity to experience community through writing. The workshop will culminate in students sharing work created during the session.
Activating and Sustaining Our Political Energy: Practices for a Lifetime of Inspired Action
Presenters: Dianne Monroe and Peter Dunlap
Room: Jacobs 126
This interactive workshop explores how can we maintain and grow our political energy for the long term, avoid burnout, and develop strategies that can nourish and support us as groups and individuals. This includes: 1) How understanding the unique contribution each of us has to offer is perhaps the core place that sustains a lifetime of inspired action; and 2) Practices for working the outer path of community engagement and the inner path of self-care while building community in a group. It will be co-facilitated by psychologist Peter Dunlap and life coach Diane Monroe.
Love and Organizing: Why Domestic Workers Should Rule the World
Presenter: Maureen Purtill
Room: Doyle 205
Participants will learn about the transformative organizing practices of the Domestic Worker movement in the United States via an in-depth look at ALMAS (Alianza de Mujeres Activas y Solidarias), the Women's Action and Solidarity Alliance of the Graton Day Labor Center. Participants will reflect on their own experiences and intersecting identities, with a special emphasis on challenging white privilege and institutional racism, among other systems of oppression that hurt all of us.
Intro to Training for Nonviolent Direct Action
Presenters: Paul Robbins, Birch Moonwomon, Linda Sartor
Room: Doyle 207
Facilitated by members of the Sonoma County Nonviolence Training Collective, this very active workshop will familiarize participants with the history, theory, and principles of nonviolent direct action with practical exercises in communicating in public and making quick decisions in challenging situations. The workshop provides a sense of how a day-long training in nonviolent direct action is conducted, with its emphasis on skills acquisition through active participation.
Combating Sex Trafficking in the Bay Area
Presenters: Maya Babow, Ethan Paisley, Claire Lasater
Room: Doyle 243
A student-led panel! Three young members of the Sonoma County film-production company Take18 Entertainment present their short film Playing The Game about child sex trafficking in the Bay Area, followed by a presentation on how our community can fight child exploitation and a personal testimonial from a survivor of sex trafficking.
Know Your Rights When Dealing with Immigration
Presenter: Hector Jimenez Carreño
Room: Call 656
All of us have Constitutional rights in the U.S., regardless of citizenship status. In a time of great fear and insecurity, this workshop will clarify what exactly those rights are if you or somebody you love are undocumented and are approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Empower yourself with knowledge.
Right to a Roof/Derecho al Techo
Presenter: Davin Cardenas
Room: Call 657
Do you seek to live in a society where dignified housing is accessible to all, and where working families have the stability to begin planning and saving financially for their futures, without fear of eviction and harassment? Learn how to get involved in the fight for rent stabilization and just cause eviction policies in Sonoma County, one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S.
4:00PM – 6:00PM
DINNER & CLOSING CELEBRATION
Rotary Plaza
Opening Performance and Open Mic featuring Karym Sanchez, NBOP Youth Organizer
Featured Performer: Daniel “Big Dan” Mora of Oakland hip-hop group BRWN BFLO