The 2nd annual conference on Social Justice in the Central Valley will take place on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 on campus at California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State).
This conference will encourage students and faculty to have open discussions about topics relating to social justice and systemic inequality. Because the conference will be taking place at Stan State the speakers are focusing on how social justice issues affect people who live in the Central Valley.
The conference is free for everyone to attend and will be taking place in various locations on campus including: the event center, Mainstage theatre, the Art Gallery and Bizzini hall.
Some of the important topics that will be covered by various speakers at the conference include:
- Race
- Civil rights
- Activism
- Gender
- Mass incarceration
- Homelessness
- Poverty
- Health coverage for minorities
- General equity and inequity
The faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences found it important to continue this conference another year because of the subject matter.
‘“For many, social justice-related activities seems to occur elsewhere, and not on our campus. This conference is a prime opportunity for advocacy throughout the Central Valley. Our students are the ones who will ultimately shape the direction this region moves in,” Dr. Kilolo Brodie a professor in the History department said.
This conference will reach out to Stan State students and help them realize that they are entrusted with the future of advocacy for minorities and underrepresented groups, no matter where they live.
“They [the speakers at the conference] are going to be looking at issues related to economic, ethnic and racial dimensions of social justice issues. And how these issues play out differently for different genders, different races and different socioeconomic classes,” Dr James Tuedio, the Dean of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences said.
This conference aims to encourage students to slip out of their comfort zones and discuss difficult topics that involve race and equality in all factors of life. This is especially important in the midst of stark political differences in America right now. Students need to know how to enter into intelligent and open communication about sensitive issues. Immediately shutting down someone because you do not agree is not the best way to share and talk about issues.
The conference aims to get students to advance rights and not just defend existing ones.This is particularly a problem when people who are not directly affected by a problem will not acknowledge that a problem exists for others.
Dean Tuedio wants the conference to open people’s eyes about social justice issues that relate directly to social equity and inequity.
For more info about the conference refer to the schedule here or visit the university website
