Lessons from the Social Justice Series

Social Justice Word Cloud

Earlier this semester the BMCC Library, in collaboration with CETLS, ran a 3-part series on social justice titled “Stand Up and Speak Out”. The series was dedicated to informing the BMCC community about current social justice issues, how to get involved and how to protect themselves.

We were joined by speakers Prof. Stefan Williams from the BMCC Criminal Justice Program, Mr. Richard Sepulveda from the BMCC Library, Dr. Robin Isserles from the BMCC Department of Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice, Mr. Matt Gonzales from the Innovation for Integration Initiative (I3) and Takiema Bunche-Smith, MPA, MSEd, Executive Director of the Center on Culture, Race & Equity. Our presenters discussed a variety of helpful and important things that we want to share with all BMCC members. Below you will find summaries as well as links to the presentations.

All slides can be viewed using the provided link: Social Justice Series Slides

“Stand Up and Speak Out”
Social Justice Series: Activism

  • Understanding Power Relations and Activism
    • Fundamentally transforming power relations (Who holds the power in situations?)
    • Getting involved in local and national politics
    • What does the First Amendment really mean?
  • Privacy, Anonymity and Activism
    • Privacy VS Anonymity and Pseudonymity
    • Cyber Threats
    • Internet Security
    • Cyber Best Practices

“Stand Up and Speak Out”
Social Justice Series: Equity in Education

  • Reimagining Student Success
    • What is student success and how is it defined?
    • The problem with treating all college students the same
    • Community colleges in the US
    • Equity in higher education

“Stand Up and Speak Out”
Social Justice Series: Racism and Self Care

  • Systemic Racism & the Coronavirus Pandemic: Making space for Radical Self-Care
    • The impact of racism in the United States
    • Recognizing burdens we are carrying as individuals and a community
    • Exploring the idea of self-care as a radical act and how to take stock of how we are caring for ourselves