2018 Social Justice Day Schedule and Speakers
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2018 SOCIAL JUSTICE DAY SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS WELCOME FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL We are pleased to host our 6th Annual Social Justice Day at University Prep. As we did last year, we offer a conference-style experience for our student participants, who have the opportunity to attend sessions based on their interests. This format has galvanized our faculty and staff to step forward to design and lead a wide range of thought-provoking sessions with the goal of creating a safe space for critical analysis and conversation on contemporary social justice topics. On Social Justice Day, we suspend regular academic classes so that every member of our community is able to lean in and engage in dialogue to promote deeper understanding of identities and issues. Ijeoma Oluo, our keynote speaker and the author of the recently released So You Want To Talk About Race, will launch the day in the Gym and help to set the stage for dialogue. Her new book brings together personal experiences with poignant anecdotes to position us to gain greater insight into and understanding of how to engage in dialogue on difficult topics and issues. Our hope is that Social Justice Day unites our community around our Mission, Vision, and Values and challenges us to enter into critical analysis and dialogue. Sincerely, Matt Levinson Head of School p1 | University Prep | Social Justice Day | March 13, 2018 WELCOME FROM THE DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY OFFICE Welcome to the UPrep 6th Annual Social Justice Day! Social Justice Day has quickly grown to be one of the hallmark events at University Prep. Yearly on this day, students, staff, faculty, and guests are given the opportunity to dive deep and engage in topics and discussions that they may not get to have on a day-to-day basis. The mission of University Prep is to develop each student’s potential to become an intellectually courageous, socially responsible citizen of the world, and Social Justice Day is just one way to ensure we are living our mission. Engaging in, and talking about, social justice can be difficult. But current events in our nation show us that it is imperative that when students leave UPrep they be ready and able to engage in dialogue with those who are different from them, to learn how to hear marginalized voices, and to have empathy for others, even when there are differing opinons. Social Justice Day is the time for learning from others, hearing stories and voices that may be different from our own, and for some there will be some discomfort. We encourage you to lean into the discomfort and engage in the discussion. We thank all of you for your support of this very important day and for helping UPrep live out our mission, not just on Social Justice Day, but every day. Sincerely, Shavette McGhee, Pedro Cordoba, and E-chieh Lin The UPrep Diversity and Community Office University Prep | Social Justice Day | March 13, 2018 | p2 MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHEDULE 8:25 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Welcome 8:30 a.m. – 8:55 a.m. Opening Keynote Speaker: Ijeoma Oluo 8:55 a.m. – 9:05 a.m. Break 9:05 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Workshop Block 1 10:05 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break 10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Workshop Block 2 11:20 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Lunch 11:55 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Open Session 12:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Affinity Group Space 2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Break 2:20 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. Closing Speaker: Draze p3 | University Prep | Social Justice Day | March 13, 2018 UPPER SCHOOL SCHEDULE 8:25 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Welcome 8:30 a.m. – 8:55 a.m. Opening Keynote Speaker: Ijeoma Oluo 8:55 a.m. – 9:05 a.m. Break 9:05 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Workshop Block 1 10:05 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break 10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Workshop Block 2 11:25 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Featured Speakers: Danni Askini, Jon Greenberg, Ray Corona, Tom Ikeda, Unconference 12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch 12:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Affinity Group Space 2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Break 2:20 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. Closing Speaker: Draze University Prep | Social Justice Day | March 13, 2018 | p4 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS IJEOMA OLUO | 8:30 a.m. – 8:55 a.m. | GYM Ijeoma Oluo is a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and “Internet Yeller.” She’s the author of the New York Times Best-Seller So You Want to Talk about Race, published in January by Seal Press. Named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2017, one of the Most Influential People in Seattle by Seattle Magazine, one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle by Seattle Met, and winner of the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award by the American Humanist Society, Oluo’s work focuses primarily on issues of race and identity, feminism, social and mental health, social justice, the arts, and personal essay. Her writing has been featured in The Washington Post, NBC News, Elle Magazine, Time, The Stranger, and The Guardian, among other outlets. Oluo is the Editor-at-Large of The Establishment, a media platform both run and funded by women, and she is the author of the first and second volumes of The Badass Feminist Coloring Book (2015), featuring celebratory essays on modern-day feminists. She earned her degree in Political Science from Western Washington University in 2007 and is the mother of two boys. So You Want to Talk About Race: In the book, “So You Want to Talk About Race”, author Ijeoma Oluo offers a clarifying discussion of the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on the issues that divide us. Oluo is bringing this discussion to Social Justice Day and will explain the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans, and answers questions that people don’t dare to ask, like “What is cultural appropriation?” “Why do I keep being told to check my privilege?” and more. She will also touch upon why it’s even more important than ever for the youth to be engaging in these necessary and challenging discussions surrounding race and identity in America. p5 | University Prep | Social Justice Day | March 13, 2018 DRAZE | 2:20 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. | GYM Born in Seattle, the son of two African music legends, Dumisani Maraire, Sr. and Lora Chiorah- Dye, Draze moved to Zimbabwe at the age of six. When he returned to the U.S., Draze was introduced to hip hop on the streets of Seattle. Finding his passion in creating music he progressed as an MC, soon becoming one of the most respected hip hop artists in the Northwest. Draze received national recognition for his song and video, “The Hood Ain’t the Same,” which targets the issue of gentrification in America. “My belief is that gentrification is one of the most important issues impacting Black communities in this generation. My hope is to grant participants a unique perspective of the African American journey by putting a face in front of the issue.” Understanding the Impact of Gentrification: As a lifelong resident of Washington’s Central District and South end communities, Draze has witnessed first-hand the impacts of gentrification on Seattle’s African American communities. Through the powerful use of story, Draze takes listeners on a journey from his childhood community to a strange place that he used to call home. This message is designed to challenge our ideals, spark our curiosity, trigger empathy, and inspire humanity to truly move towards equality by ensuring thriving communities for all. University Prep | Social Justice Day | March 13, 2018 | p6 FEATURED SPEAKERS DANNI ASKINI | 11:25 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | LIBRARY Danni Askini is the Founding Executive Director of Gender Justice League — a civil and human rights organization based in Seattle working to end oppression on the basis of gender and sexuality in Washington State. Previously she has worked as the National Program Director of GSA Network in San Francisco supporting GSAs in more than 4,000 schools across the country. Askini also created Seattle’s first trans health clinic at Verbena Health where she serves as Trans Health Director. She is a social worker and activist dedicated to social justice. What Is Gender Justice? It is understanding the movement to achieve justice and equity for all people on the basis of gender. This workshop and talk will examine historical and current trends within LGBTQIA and Feminist activism for political, social, and cultural change that will bring about a more just world for people who are marginalized because of their gender or sexuality. Our workshop will examine the methods and avenues to create political, social, and cultural change as well as the roles large and small that people can play in bringing about that change. Participants will be encouraged to reflect and share in small groups what methods, tactics, and strategies they have seen used historically, and what avenues they are interested in using to create change. Participants should come prepared to reflect on the gender and sexuality issues that they have seen in social media and the news lately, as well as the types and forms of activism to address those issues. People will be broken out into affinity groups based on self-gender identification for a portion of the session.