Social Justice Summit April 14
Community Event Challenges Social Apathy
April 3, 2012 :: No. 129
Caption: Poster created by alumnus Brian Littler for the Social Justice Summit. For more, see item below at right.
What:
“Unite to Rise Above Apathy” is the theme of the April 14 Social Justice Summit at Cal State Fullerton, a campus and community program organized by students of the Volunteer and Service Center. The eighth annual event features guest speakers, workshops and a resource fair. Social issues on the agenda include human trafficking, gay rights, power and privilege and more. The summit its open to the public free of charge.
When:
Saturday, April 14
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where:
Cal State Fullerton. Titan Student Union, Portola Pavilion
800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, 92831
Who:
Caption: Jeb Middlebrook Download
Jeb Middlebrook, a racial justice speaker, poet and organizer, is a lecturer in sociology at USC and online lecturer in women's and ethnic studies at the University of Colorado. Middlebrook holds a master's degree and doctorate in American studies and ethnicity from USC and has organized community social justice campaigns across the U.S. He will speak at 9 a.m.
Abraham Medina of Santa Ana, a spoken-word artist and UCI sociology graduate, started attending CSUF’s Social Justice Summit events while in high school. He is involved in several community action groups in Orange County and plans to pursue a career teaching sociology at the community college level. Medina will speak at 3 p.m.
Caption: Abraham Medina Download
Workshops will address such issues such as the Occupy movement; homelessness; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights; as well as oil drilling and spills. Among workshop presenters is Ron Thomas, father of Kelly Thomas, a homeless schizophrenic who died after a confrontation last July with Fullerton police. Thomas will discuss homelessness and mental illness during the 11:30 a.m. workshop in the Titan Student Union’s Titan Theater.
Why:
“This event provides an opportunity for our students, and the greater community, to become involved in the conversation about social justice issues affecting our local communities, as well as our nation and world,” said Amy Mattern, coordinator of the university’s Volunteer and Service Center. The center’s Students Advocating Civic Transformation (ACT) organizes the Social Justice Summit with the support of community organizations and vendors.
Student Quote:
“We hope that our guests will come out of our event with a new perspective about the conditions of the community and with a more critical eye toward the mainstream culture,” said senior Nick Barrington, a Students ACT project director and double major in linguistics and human services.
Additional:
Members of Students ACT promote social and political change, as well as volunteerism through education, empowerment and action. The event, which includes a free vegan lunch, is billed at a “green summit” to encourage attendees to make everyday choices based on environmentally and socially conscious decisions. A resource fair featuring campus, regional and international organizations will provide opportunities to get involved in social action.
Register/Info:
Registration is requested due to limited seating and can be completed online: www.fullerton.edu/socialjusticesummit; by phone, 657-278-7623; or email volunteer@fullerton.edu.
Media Contacts:
Amy Mattern, Volunteer and Service Center, 657-278-3504 or amattern@fullerton.edu
Debra Cano Ramos, 657-278-4027; 657-278-2414 or dcanoramos@fullerton.edu
Senior Nick Barrington is a project director for Students ACT, or Advocating Civic Transformation, a program of the Volunteer and Service Center that organized the April 14 Social Justice Summit. Barrington shares his thoughts about being involved with the free public event themed, “Unite to Rise Above Apathy.”
