May 15, 2008
Michael Benitez Jr. to speak on May 15
Scholar, activist and spoken word artist Michael Benitez Jr. will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 15, in 120 Kane. His topic will be Redefining Activism in the Age of Conformity. The event is being presented by the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity and the Ethnic Cultural Center/Theatre.
Benitez, director of the David A. Port lock Cultural Center at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. Publicity notes for the talk state that Benitez will address the decline in student engagement in college students’ engagement with diversity and social justice in the academic community by making connections between historical philosophy and contemporary practice. “This session touches on history, activism, intergenerational privilege and issues of apathy and conformity.”
Following his lecture will be a discussion on practical activism and meaningful student engagement, “The workshop will help members of the academic community explore their roles as diversity leaders, how they choose to program using collaborative text and contextual models, and helps connect programming to the academic discourse-strengthening support of faculty and senior administration.”
The presentation is free. For more information, contact Jenee Jahn at 206-543-4635 or jjahn@u.washington.edu.
