2010 Claiming Williams event
2:15-3:30pm
Discussion of film “Impasse”
Hardy House
This I Believe
A panel of students from a variety of spiritual perspectives will discuss diverse spiritual life and how that affects their search for meaning as Williams students.
Are there any “religious” students at Williams? Do all “religious” students at Williams resemble each other? Is this a comfortable place for one to grow in one’s faith, or explore other faiths? Are there systems of belief and practice who are still searching for a secure place at Williams? Can one find morality and emotional wellness with no spiritual practice at all?
Griffin 3
Breaking Boundaries: Dialog with Artist Pepón Osorio
Artist Pepón Osorio will host a dialogue that will engage students, staff, and faculty in a process of self-reflection and examination of personal boundaries. Osorio will present and discuss his artistic projects in the community—a working process that unearths issues of identity, class, ethnicity and race. This forum will create a space where people are able to reflect on challenging issues and consider ways in which they can take responsibility for effecting change. Space is limited to 20.
L3, Lawrence Hall
Language, Identity and Empowerment
An examination of the dynamic surrounding the traditions of inequality at Williams and how they manifest themselves in the subtleties of language. The event will begin with an open mic for any and all in attendance and followed with a performance by the Nuyorican spoken word team to articulate the lived experience of issues of inequality. We hope to crack open the hidden inequality at Williams and bring attention to these issues written into the Williams tradition of the misunderstanding that sameness is equivalent to equality.
Goodrich Hall
Be the change: How to Become an Ally
In this forum, a brief panel presentation followed by small-group discussions will empower individuals to see how they can make a difference when they become allies to community members who feel they cannot “claim” Williams.
An ally is a person who advocates for and supports members of a community that suffers from prejudice and discrimination. To become an ally, one begins with an open mind and a willingness to talk about issues that often seem taboo at Williams, including differences in race, socioeconomic class background, or religion. Allies do not have all the answers nor are they not expected to! During this forum, participants will learn more about how to be an ally on a daily basis as well as the personal and community benefits of being an ally.
Hopkins B3
Speak Up! A Workshop on How to Deal with Gender and Sexuality Slurs
A workshop on how to identify and combat slurs against gender and sexuality. The workshop seeks to provide Williams students, staff, and faculty with the necessary skills to stand up against slurs that target a person’s gender and/or sexuality on campus and to talk about why it is that the use of gender and sexuality slurs are harmful to the Williams community. The program seeks to empower participants to speak up when they hear a gender or sexuality related slur and to teach others why they are so hurtful.
Hopkins B1964