Check out workshops and panels at 2012 Facing Race Conference taking place in Baltimore, MD from Noember 15th-17th featuring MAG-Net members, partners and allies.
Select Panels and Workshops featuring MAG-Net members, partners and allies:
11:15 am – 12:45 pm
Can You Hear Me Now? How Activists and Artists are Rebuilding the Media
The Internet was once seen as a revolutionary platform that would help even the playing field for artists of color. It has fundamentally transformed how people communicate to one another – and the world. But in an age when Facebook is king and even Social Security offices require applicants to apply online, not everything on the Internet is created equally. People of color generally pay more for fewer services and are sometimes left on the sidelines of some of today's biggest tech innovations. This session will focus on how people of color are using public policy and art to push forward a new media framework. What are the promises — and the pitfalls — of today's do-it-yourself ethos? What organizing strategies yield the most effective results? And how are communities responding?
Speakers:
Josh Begley
amalia deloney, Associate Director, Center for Media Justice
Adriel Luis, Imagineer, iLL-Literacy
*****
11:15 am – 12:45 pm
Race & Class: Why an Intersectional Approach is Critical in Undoing Structural Racism
Although intersectional approaches to movement work are increasingly popular, we often overlook classism while working on structural racism. Social Justice Fund NW and Resource Generation have successfully collaborated on a multiracial cross-class giving circle model, developing strategies and tools to integrate a class lens into racial justice work. Participants will leave this workshop with a foundational analysis of the intersection of race and class, tools and materials for bringing an intersectional race and class lens into existing racial justice work, and critical questions to bring back to their own organizations.
Speakers:
Mijo Lee, Program Director, Social Justice Fund NW
Nitika Raj, National Organizer, Resource Generation
***
11:15 am – 12:45 pm
From Brooklyn to Baltimore: the Fight for Fair Development
In the name of economic progress, low-income communities of color– including workers, residents and small business owners–often pay for "urban revitalization" with the loss of their livelihoods, their homes and the affordability of their neighborhoods. In a highly unequal racial and economic terrain, how can we reclaim development that is fair and accountable for all people? How can we develop our communities in a way that is sustainable and puts our needs before those of private developers? Grassroots organizers from Baltimore and New York share stories, lessons and winnable strategies from innovative movements, being led largely by the poor and people of color, who are taking on gentrification, displacement and poverty wages.
Speakers:
Rachel Falcone, Co-Producer, Housing is a Human Right
Luis Larin, Leadership Organizer, United Workers
Michael Premo, Co-Producer, Housing is a Human Right
Lucas Shapiro, Senior Organizer, FUREE (Families United for Racial & Economic Equality)
****
11:15-12:45pm
Changing the Conversation on Race
Racial justice groups have to fight the dominant narratives about race that currently exist in society and the media. Most stories have a narrative arc that focuses on individual racism and intention, resulting in a debate that puts too much emphasis on the individual and continues to hide structural racism. To make an impact, we have to grapple with and shift those narratives. This workshop will help people understand what a frame is, how it relates to the message, why stories are important to framing, and will expose participants to some framing approaches.
Speakers:
Rinku Sen, President, Applied Research Center (ARC)
Maya Wiley, Founder & President, Center for Social Inclusion
Tim Wise
Milly Hawk Daniel, VP, Communications, PolicyLink
*****
3:30-5:00pm
Consumer Based Strategies for Advancing Racial Justice
The use of consumer boycotts and providing alternatives (“buy-cotts”) are signature strategies of racial justice projects of the past. This workshop will highlight current campaigns and initiatives that employ these strategies in advancing racial justice in the present. How are these current-day examples similar to and/or improve upon the strategies of the past? The workshop will tease out lessons from these initiatives and how they can instructive in crafting racial justice strategies in the age of globalization.
Speakers:
Lisa Castellanos, Senior Organizer, Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action
Tracy Van Slyke, Director, The New Bottom Line
Jamal Watkins, Chief of Staff, Center for Social Inclusion
****
3:30-5:00pm
From the Trenches: Stories on Race, Dating and Love
We talk about the way race impacts almost every part of our life, but one place where it is always scary to talk about race is in our intimate personal lives. It's one thing to recognize how race plays out in politics, culture and policy, but another in who we date, love and sometimes marry. Join us, as we share a series of stories from a variety of folks that are funny, scary, sad and awesome about the intersection of love and race.
Speakers:
Samhita Mukhopadhyay, Executive Editor, Feministing.com
Deanna Zandt, Media Technologist
Jamia Wilson, Vice President of Programs, Women's Media Center
*****
3:30-5:00pm
Organizing Racial Justice Philanthropy
Four intermediaries working to move funders will share current tools and efforts to strengthen racial justice grantmaking. This interactive session will also engage nonprofits in strategizing about their role in organizing racial justice philanthropy. How can the racial justice field and other social justice activists push or support change, and how can we all be more strategic about the levers of power in an arena that has far more privilege than accountability?
Speakers:
Dennis Quirin, Program Officer, Race & Equity Collaborative, Proteus Fund
Lisa Ranghelli, Director, Grantmaking for Community Impact Project, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
Lori Villarosa, Executive Director, Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity
*****
3:30-5:00pm
Energy Democracy for All
The green economy hasn’t delivered on its promise, so far, to recreate a manufacturing base to employ workers of color. And, the economic downturn is unrelenting: millions of people of color are still out of work and the wealth gap is increasing. Communities across the nation are generating solutions to the economic crises by creating community-owned and operated renewable energy solutions. Learn from community leaders from the Navajo Nation to Baltimore about how this community-scale solution may be the answer, to be replicated.
Speakers:
Shannon Bade, Director of Organizing, Alliance to Develop Power
Anthony Giancatarino, Coordinator for Research and Advocacy, The Center for Social Inclusion
Emily Kirsch
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH
11:00-12:30pm
Like Racism, But Funnier: Social Change Through Internet Jokes
Jokes are the original "viral" medium, changing minds and sneaking in new ideas since the invention of language. But our era's jokes are often at the expense of people of color and other disenfranchised folks — and they're being made by people who should know better. How do we reclaim comedy from the status quo? In this no-holds-barred workshop, three of your favorite social justice joke scientists lay out case studies and strategies for making people laugh (and think), for putting dehumanizing comedy on blast, and for turning the inevitable backlash into positive change.
Speakers:
W. Kamau Bell, Comedian, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell
Negin Farsad, Comedian/Filmmaker
Samhita Mukhopadhyay, Executive Editor, Feministing.com
*****
11:00-12:30pm
Tell Your Story, Move Your Campaign
Stories, well-crafted and honestly told, have the ability to move people to action. But they can be tricky for progressives, who often get hung up on facts and complicated dynamics, and as a result, it can be harder to share solutions and reach possible allies. Learn strategies from organizers including the Drop the I-Word campaign who have developed a strong narrative as a core component to their campaigns, and are using new media strategies to communicate with more people because of it.
Speakers:
Doyle Canning, Co-Director, smartMeme
Babatunde Salaam, Advocacy Leader, New Lens
Neomara Serges
*****
11:00-12:30pm
Cross Racial Alliance Building for Social Justice and Immigrant Rights
Leading advocates and organizers will share about building cross-racial and ethnic alliances for immigrant rights and racial justice fights in their communities across the country. We'll be speaking about key areas and best practices we've found in our collaborative work amongst African American, Latino, Chinese, Afro-Diasporic, and Caribbean communities as well as offering examples of our work. The workshop will be interactive and we will offer take-home tools and materials for people who are interested in doing the work.
Speakers:
Abraham Paulos, Executive Director, Families for Freedom
Opal Tometi, National Organizer, Black Alliance for Just Immigration/ Black Immigration Network
Erika Almiron, Executive Director, Juntos
Gustavo Andrade, Organizing Director, CASA de Maryland
*****
11:00-12:30pm
Building a 21st Century Labor Movement
This panel will take a wide view look at what is required to build real and lasting worker power in this country. Panelists will address the ways in which labor organizing is growing and declining, discuss what we've learned from the last decade of work by community worker centers and labor unions and consider the effect of race and gender lenses on organizing strategy.
Speakers:
Dorian Warren, Associate Professor of Political Science & Public Affairs, Columbia University
Kim Fellner, Associate Director, Working America
Ai-jen Poo, Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance
Saket Soni, Executive Director, New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice
James Thindwa, Civic Engagement Coordinator, American Federation of Teachers
*****
11:00-12:30pm
Where is the Color in Occupy? Race, Class and Gender in the Occupy Movement
When a Canadian magazine, Adbusters, issued the call last summer to Occupy Wall Street, no one could predict the response that would follow. Many have pointed to the lack of race-explicit analysis by the Occupy movement and the domination of white middle class participation. Organizers of color involved with Occupy discuss how race is manifested in their city and how Occupy can lead with a race-explicit analysis.
Speakers:
Kate Khatib, Editor, AK Press
Christine Schweidler, Research Director, DataCenter
Maria Poblet, Executive Director, Causa Justa :: Just Cause
Jan̩e Woods Weber, Program Officer, Everyday Democracy
******
11:00-12:30pm
Launching Proactive Policy Agendas for Racial Equity
How do we move from reacting to racial disparities to proactively addressing racial equity? In this workshop, the Organizing Apprenticeship Project (OAP) in Minnesota, United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) in Illinois, Maine People's Alliance (MPA) will share their experience using legislative report cards, policy guides and proactive agendas that highlight racial equity issues. These organizations are using innovative tools and strategies for introducing an equity-focused framework into the policy-making arena.
Speakers:
Vina Kay, Director of Research and Policy, Organizing Apprenticeship Project
Jermaine Toney, Research Consultant, Applied Research Center
Alheli M. Herrera, Organizer, Enlace Chicago
*****
1:45-3:15pm
Campaign Weaving and Movement Building: Challenging the Incarceration Nation through Creative Action
Across the country organizers and advocates are leading campaigns to challenge the impacts of mass detention/incarceration. From death penalty abolition to ending the high cost of phone calls, and mandatory detention–these organizations are using creative actions, first voice media and innovative policy advocacy to bring the media policy, immigrant rights and criminal justice sectors together to fight the profiteering in mass incarceration.
Speakers:
Cherrell Brown, Organizing Coordinator , Equal Justice USA
Steven Renderos, National Organizer, Center for Media Justice
Silky Shah, Communications Director, Detention Watch Network
Zachary Norris, Co-Director, Justice for Families
****
1:45-3:15pm
Words Matter: Organizing Against Bully Language
Through history harmful language has been used to dehumanize, hurt and marginalize groups of people based on ethnic background, gender, queer identity, disabilities and other reasons. Organizers will discuss their work to build awareness about harmful language and the efforts to defeat it. Come learn about ARC's Drop the I-Word campaign, the work young people at The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network are taking on to combat GLBTQ bullying as well as playground bullying and how escalation to violence is prevented.
Speakers:
Lamont Carey, President/CEO, LaCarey Entertainment, LLC
Tiffani Sykhammountry, GLSEN, GLSEN Student Ambassador
Selene Medina
Jennifer Pozner, Executive Director, Women In Media & News
****
1:45-3:15pm
Storytelling for Racial Justice
To advance our racial justice efforts, we need to connect our audience to the issues in a meaningful way that helps them to see things from another perspective. An essential tool in reframing the conversation on race is story-telling that pulls at the heart-strings, appeals to deeply held values, and leads audiences through a day in someone else’s shoes. In this workshop participants will develop vivid, compelling stories that include the key elements of narrative, and how to use stories to effect change
Speakers:
Rinku Sen, President, Applied Research Center (ARC)
John Powell, Director, Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society
***
3:30-5:30pm
Culture Trumps Politics: Or Does It?
When political times get hard, creative people turn to influencing the way race is lived instead of the way it is legislated. This session will focus on the relationship between cultural and political change, from the perspective of the nation's leading artists.
Speakers:
Jeff Chang, Executive Director, Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University
Lolis Eric Elie, Writer, HBO's Treme
Negin Farsad, Comedian/Filmmaker
Rinku Sen, President, Applied Research Center (ARC)
Jose Antonio Vargas, Multimedia Journalist, Founder of Define American, Define American
