Presented by the MultiCultural Center, the 22nd annual Social Justice Summit “Theory to Action: At the Heart of Social Justice” is open to the public and free for all local students and staff and faculty members from HSU and College of the Redwoods. Community members can register for $25 and non-profit organizations for $20. Registration materials are available online. Registration is also available starting at 3pm on Friday, March 4, in the Karshner Lounge.
“How you perceive justice alters how you act. We want to get people to move beyond theories in the classroom and in academic papers and to take action in their lives, in their neighborhoods, everywhere,” says Merien Townsel, one of the summit’s student coordinators.
The summit’s theme is expressed through the event’s poster art, developed by Aizik Brown, who studies studio art. “Aizik wanted to encompass everything that students care about: nature, cities, the future, in a way that says what’s in our hearts is in our hands. We have the power to affect change,” says Townsel.
On Friday, March 4, Dr. Shakti Butler, a filmmaker and founder of World Trust, delivers two talks.
- 3-5 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum: Dr. Butler also delivers “Irresistible Justice: Cultivating Joy as a Pathway to Equity,” a special talk for faculty and staff.
- 7 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room (keynote address): “Understanding White Culture as a 21st Century Leadership Skill.” Dr. Butler is an active proponent of diversity and racial equity. Dr. Butler engages audiences with participatory keynotes and workshops, often using clips from her films, including “Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity” and “Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible.”
On Saturday, March 5, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deborah Sanchez, J.D., delivers the opening keynote at 9 a.m., also in the Kate Buchanan Room. An active tribal leader and a faculty member at CSU Long Beach in the American Indian Studies Program, Sanchez will deliver the talk “Diversity on the Bench: Conflict and Necessity.”
The summit includes workshops, film screenings, and discussions. Students can enroll in a one-unit course through Ethnic Studies 480 or Women’s Studies 480 that coincides with the Social Justice Summit.
Those who wish to request disability-related accommodations should contact the Student Disability Resource Center as soon as possible at 707-826-4678 or sdrc@humboldt.edu.
To register, visit humboldt.edu/summit/registration.html. For more information, contact Amy Salinas Westmoreland, MultiCultural Center Coordinator, at 707-826-3364 or mcc@humboldt.edu.
The Social Justice Summit is sponsored by the HSU MultiCultural Center, Associated Students, Retention and Inclusive Student Success, Institute for Student Success, and the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples.