Sonoma State University hosts its second annual Social Justice Week this week more than 30 hours of lectures, panels, films and activities on topics ranging from the Black Lives Matter movement to the CIA. Keynote speakers include author David Talbot, hip-hop historian and radio host DaveyD, and Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin.
The program is organized by students in the Sociology Social Justice and Activism club president. All events are being held in the Student Union Building Ballrooms and are open to the public. The week is co-sponsored by the Sociology Social Justice and Activism Club, Project Censored, and Media Freedom Foundation, Inc.
A donation of $10 will be accepted at the door for keynotes, students are free, no one turned away. Parking at SSU is $5-$8. For more information, contact Elizabeth Castanon, Sociology Social Justice and Activism Club president, castanon@sonoma.edu; Peter Phillips, sociology professor and Sociology Social Justice and Activism Club advisor, Peter.phillips@sonoma.edu.
Keynote speakers
March 21: David Talbot, author of the "Devils Chessboard, Allen Dulles, The CIA and the Rise of America's Secret Government," 7 p.m., Student Center Ballroom.
March 23: DaveyD, hip-hop historian and host of Hard Know Radio on KPFA. Topic: Social Justice and Black Lives Matter, 7 p.m., Student Center Ballroom.
March 25: Medea Benjamin co-founder of women-lead peace group Code Pink, addresses the importance of political activism for social justice, 7 p.m., Student Center Ballroom.
Full program schedule
Monday, March 21, Student Center
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Sponsors and Organizations Tabling in Seawolf Plaza. Police Brutality Coalition demonstration: Re-enactment of jail beatings
1-2 p.m. - North Bay Jobs with Justice: Focus on higher wages movement, and particularly the $15 an hour minimum wage ballot initiative that voters will consider in November
2:30-3:30 p.m. - Police Brutality Coalition: Presentation on law enforcement brutality in Sonoma County
4-5 p.m. - Fight for Five: Presentation by California Faculty Association
7-9 p.m. - Keynote speaker: Author David Talbot, introduced by Project Censored Director Mickey Huff
Tuesday, March 22, Women's Justice Day, Student Center
10 a.m.-12 p.m. - Dianne Monroe: "Your Spark of Genius and Our Challenging Times" explores the idea that every person has a spark of genius (sometimes called the life purpose or pass) that is linked to the world's needs. Understanding this enables us to lives of deep fulfillment and makes our greatest contributions in these deeply hopeful and challenging times. This interactive workshop offers practices to support you in exploring where your unique spark of genius meets the great needs of our times.
12-1 p.m. - SSU Student Bobby Ramirez: hip-hop performance in Seawolf Plaza
1-3 p.m. - "The Hunting Ground," documentary about sexual assault on college campuses, sponsored by Guided to Safety
4-5 p.m. - Linda Sartor, "Turning Fear into Power: One Woman's Journey Confronting the War on Terror"
Wednesday, March 23, Domestic Affairs Day, Student Center
10-11:30 a.m. - Move to Amend presentation. On January 21, 2010, with Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons, entitled by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run our government. Move to Amend rejects the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United and other related cases, and moves to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.
12-1:30 p.m. - Veterans for Peace: Veteran suicide display and presentation
2-3 p.m. - Presentation by North Coast Coalition for Peace on justice in Palestine
3:30-5 p.m. - Presentation by Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County
7-9 p.m. - Keynote speaker: Davey D. A nationally recognized journalist, adjunct professor, hip-hop historian, syndicated talk show host, radio programmer, producer, deejay, media and community activist.
Thursday, March 24, Foreign Affairs Day
10-11:30 a.m. - Coloring activity: Draw your perfect world, Student Center
12-2 p.m. - Presentation by Project Censored on global media literacy and censorship, Student Center
2:30-3:30 p.m. - "Nuclear Savage," documentary about human radiation experiments conducted by the U.S. government, Student Center
4-5 p.m. - Presentation and Q&A by Fukushima Response Campaign, Student Center
7-9 p.m. - "Borderless World," faculty panel discussion in Ives 101 with Peter Phillips, sociology; Napoleon Reyes, criminal justice; Ron Lopez , Chicano and Latino studies; Tim Wandling, English; and Ellie Galvez-Hard, education
Friday, March 25, Documentary/Social Justice Day, Student Center
10:30-11:30 a.m. - "Plastic Paradise," documentary about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and plastic polluting the oceans
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m - Black Panther movie
2-3 p.m. - North Bay DREAMers presents short films about changing attitudes about the undocumented community through the lives of undocumented students of SSU
3:30-5:30 p.m. - "Miss Representation," documentary about sexism in U.S. society and media, sponsored by Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women
7-9 p.m. - Keynote speaker: Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, "Peace, and Social justice: Challenging Global Power and Inequality"
Events are sponsored by: SSU Sociology's Social Justice and Activism Club, SSU Associated Students, Project Censored, Media Freedom Foundation Inc., Police Brutality Coalition, North Bay Jobs with Justice, Fight for Five, Guided to Safety, Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women, Veterans for Peace, Trash the TPP, Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County, Fukushima Response Campaign, Code Pink, Move to Amend, Sonoma State faculty, SSU School of Social Sciences, SSU Sociology Department, KBBF Bilingual Radio, North Bay DREAMers, North Coast Coalition for Palestine, Aqus Café, KWTF.