Humboldt State University’s 23rd annual Campus & Community Dialogue on Race (CDOR) will take place Saturday, Oct. 23 through Friday, Oct. 29. This year’s theme is Dismantle & Heal: Building Coalition Against Forced Division.
“We are hoping to take a holistic and intersectional approach to CDOR this year. Our goal is to create a space for students, community members, and others to have dialogue on these important issues,” says Shiara Naicker, HSU’s Social Justice, Equity & Inclusion Center student staff member.
The vision of CDOR is to achieve racial, social, and environmental justice on and off campus. The program’s purpose is to promote and facilitate social and environmental change by engaging a diverse range of individuals, communities, and viewpoints to explore the impact of racism, and its intersections with all forms of oppression.
CDOR was established on the HSU campus in 1998 when former President Bill Clinton challenged universities and communities across America to hold critical forums on race. HSU responded to the call and held its first dialogue on race on the first floor of The J, with approximately 80 people in attendance. Ever since, HSU has been committed to creating safe spaces for this important annual dialogue to continue and evolve.
This year, CDOR will feature keynote speaker and stand-up comedian Hari Kondabolu, along with featured speaker Lisa Nakamura, an activist and clinical psychologist. Additionally, students, staff, faculty, administrators, and community members will present and attend virtual programming that relates to racial justice, resistance, coalitions, and healing. CDOR workshop topics include poetry and art as resistance, refugees and the sanctuary movement, election activism, reproductive justice, food sovereignty, reparations, and more. View the full calendar of events.
Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 9 a.m., clinical psychologist and activist Lisa Nakamura will present the virtual talk, “Moving from Intergenerational Trauma to Racial Solidarity in the Japanese American Community.” Nakamura has worked on immigrant rights issues in the Asian and Latinx communities, and with the Muslim and South Asian community after 9/11. She currently serves on the Leadership Council for Tsuru for Solidarity, a nonviolent, direct-action project of Japanese American social justice advocates working to end detention sites and support front-line immigrant and refugee communities that are being targeted by racist, inhumane immigration policies.
Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcast host Hari Kondabolu will present his comedic reflections on race, inequity, and Indian stereotypes. Kondabolu has been a writer for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, and was the creator of the 2017 documentary film, “The Problem with Apu.” Kondabolu holds a master’s degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, and was New York University’s APA Institute’s “Artist in Residence” in 2014-15.
For more information visit dialogue.humboldt.edu.
Related links: Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion | Social Justice, Equity & Inclusion Center | Calendar: Diversity and Inclusion events