Community Forums 10:45-12:00

Claiming Williams Events, Feb 6, 2014

10:45 am – noon

Classism on Campus and Everywhere Elseclass action_crop

Location: CenterStage, ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance

What is Classism?  Learn about the growing economic inequality in the United States and explore and debunk stereotypes associated with each socioeconomic class group in this lecture, developed by Class Action.  This talk is a prerequisite for the afternoon Class Action workshops.

Class Action prides itself on a No Shame, No Blame, No Guilt approach to classism, and encourages all participants to work together to identify and address issues of systemic oppression.  For more on Class Action, see http://www.classism.org/

The Whiteness of BelongingPhoto - Whiteness of Belonging

Location: Paresky Auditorium

Ever have a really insightful conversation with a professor, and leave office hours seeing the world a little differently?  The Whiteness of Belonging aims to help participants view the purple valley through a new lens.  Professors and students will expand conversations on diversity beyond a minority issue to one that intimately affects everyone at Williams.  The first half of this event features a screening of Tim Wise’s White Like Me, 10:45-12 in the Paresky Auditorium. The second part will be a lunch discussion with professors in Driscoll Lounge following the film.

Not the First: Narratives from Legacies of ColorReunions 2005

Location: Griffin 3

Not the First touches on the experiences of legacies from underrepresented groups at Williams and how each individual navigates the cross-sections of race and class.  Given that an increasing number of students of color are enrolling at Williams and its sister institutions, we can expect to see an increase in the proportion that will soon identify as legacies of color.  This event asks panelists to reflect on this change and how it might impact the admissions process, future alumni experiences, and the undergraduate experience (perceptions and assumptions of legacies, students from underrepresented groups, and those who live at the cross-section).  John Malcolm, Vice President of College Relations, and Rosanna Reyes, Dean of First Generation Initiatives will moderate the panel discussion.

Conversation with Zanele MuholiMini Mbatha, Durban, Glebelands, Jan. 2010

Location: Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA)

South African visual activist Zanele Muholi’s photographs and videos are intimate portrayals of black lesbians, queers, and transmen.  Muholi’s work celebrates members of LGBTI communities and sheds light on the implications of being black and queer in Africa.  Join the artist and students to discuss local and transnational issues relating to homosexuality, using the photographs as a means of exploring the stigmatization that still exists today.

On the Outside: A Multiplicity of Identities CANCELLED

On the Outside-CW

Location: Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall

On the Outside brings together the mission and purpose of Converging Worlds (a campus club that facilitates pen-pal exchanges between Williams students and prison inmates) and The Williams Law Society.  Keynote speaker Ron Muhammad Dunn knows full well the intricacies of the American prison system, and will speak about his experiences with the criminal justice system and how his personal identity was influenced by his experiences.  Mr. Dunn will host a Q&A sessions during the lunchtime dialogues. 12:15 pm in the Faculty House, New Private.

Allies, Bystanders, and Diversityuntitled.png?w=365&h=156 on Teams

Location: Bronfman Auditorium

Tracie Gilbert, founder of Gilbert Educational Ministries, will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss and understand the role allies and bystanders bring to areas of inclusion, with a focus on team and community building.

Walls: Palestine, Mexico, and BeyondSchivone people

Location: Dodd Living Room

How do walls and barriers manifest themselves physically and ideologically in our lives?  How are literal borders – which divide territories and affect the movements of people in Israel and the U.S. – connected to ones that affect our social relations to each other, including here on campus?  Join Gabriel Schivone, journalist for The Nation and The Huffington Post, for a talk followed by an open discussion of these questions.