Claiming Williams Events, Feb 5, 2015:
Community Forums: 1:45 – 3:15 p.m.
Let Me Tell You A (Really Fast) Story
Baxter Hall, Paresky
Ever wonder what people you pass on your way to class are thinking? Ever want to tell them what’s on your mind? Storytime is hosting “Let Me Tell You A (Really Fast) Story,” which is your chance to put stories behind the names and faces of the students, faculty, and staff around you. Each participant will alternate listening and telling stories, for three minutes each, in a kind of platonic speed-dating. What you hear might surprise you!
A Journey to Recovery:
Breaking the Stigma and Finding Support
Goodrich Hall
Claiming Williams and The Mental Health Committee Presents: “A Journey to Recovery: Breaking the Stigma and Finding Support.”
Jordan Burnham is professional public speaker on mental health and suicide prevention; Jordan is a survivor of a suicide attempt during his senior year of high school and shares his powerful story of fighting depression and finding recovery.
Jordan travels the country sharing his own story of survival, emphasizing that seeking help is not a sign of weakness and often leads to a successful recovery. He shares with students his ongoing physical and mental health recovery process, and what they can do to create healthier and more supportive communities.
Jordan is a nationally recognized mental health advocate who was one of the “2010 Best of Philly” and received the 2012 Emerging Humanitarian Award winner from the Asomugha Foundation. He has been featured in The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, and USA Today, and he has appeared on ESPN’s E:60 and Outside the Lines, CNN, and Good Morning America.
Humans of Williams
Sawyer Library Forum
Many individuals on campus and beyond have had the opportunity to share their stories with us, thanks to Susmita Paul, creator of Humans at Williams. Susmita will give some background on the project and invite people to talk about what they learned, what they discovered, and what advice they would offer her. Professors Olga Shevchenko and Kevin Escudero will join the discussion. You can check out the stories at facebook.com/humansofwilliams. Images from this project will also be displayed in Sawyer Library.
Feeding the Community: Dining Services Panel
Brooks-Rogers Auditorium
Join members of the Dining Services staff—Chefs Fred Ackley, Chris Moresi, and Mark Thompson, nutritionist Erika Novello, and moderator Gayle Donohue —and food-conscious students Tyler Sparks ’15 and Eirann Cohen ’15 for a conversation about the thinking and planning that goes into the meals we eat. What are the balancing acts involved in buying locally and sustainably grown, catering to a range of dietary needs, keeping an eye on nutrition, while still producing tasty meals? Co-sponsored by Dining Services.
The Marginalized Man: Education Access in Prisons
Paresky Auditorium
It is easy to forget about the problems plaguing communities outside of the “Purple Bubble,” and it is even easier to forget about the prison population. The Marginalized Man panel discussion aims to generate conversations about the “inside” experience and prison education reform, and to bring uncomfortable learning to the college campus. Three former inmates will share their incarceration stories and their post-incarceration experience(s). What is education’s role in changing the prison narrative and what role do educators and students play in helping to provide access to education in jails/prisons? Panelists include Theo Harris, Ernest Henry, and Hector “Benny” Custodio. Professors Christian Thorne and Keith McPartland will join the panel discussion. Co-sponsored by Converging Worlds and Williams College Law Society.
Dealing with Anti-Muslim Sentiment in America
– A workshop with MPAC
Dodd Living Room
Riham Osmin of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) will lead a workshop on dealing with Anti-Muslim sentiment in the states. She’ll give context for Islamophobia in America and explain the role and history of MPAC. This event is supported by the Claiming Williams Committee and the Muslim Public affairs Council.