The last three weeks have demonstrated the power of student activism around the world. It seems like every day, high school and university students are using social networks and old-school outreach to launch new revolutions, motivate momentum in fresh protests, and make a statement about what the next generation wants from its government.
This week in the round-up, Minnesota meets to discuss the sex trafficking of Native Americans, Las Vegas students contemplate what it means to be an “American” in light of Arizona’s border control, and student artists at UCLA use dance and theater to explore cultural communication. All of these events are open to the general public.
STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH WISCONSIN
WHAT: Wisconsin Student Protests, Walk-outs, and Rallies WHEN: Ongoing WHERE: Nationwide
It’s impossible to put together a student activist round-up without featuring the students in Wisconsin, whose tireless dedication to planning rallies, walk-outs, and demonstrations have kept the momentum of the movement going. Unfortunately, these events are often planned quickly in advance. So check out defendpubliceducation.org/ for the most up-to-date info on the Wisconsin-inspired student activism going on around the country and in the state itself.
CREATIVE, CHOREOGRAPHED, CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
WHAT: Culture Crossing WHEN: Tuesday, March 8, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm WHERE: UCLA, Glorya Kaufman Hall, Room 200, Los Angeles, CA
Students and faculty explore the creative potential of intercultural communication through choreography, spoken word, performance, visual art and theater.
STOPPING SEX TRAFFICKING OF NATIVE AMERICANS
WHAT: Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Minnesota’s Native Communities WHEN: Thursday, March 10, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm WHERE: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1314 Social Sciences Bldg
Suzanne Koepplinger, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, will present information on the under-recognized issue of sex trafficking of Minnesota Native girls.
ANALYZING AMERICAN IDENTITY IN LAS VEGAS
WHAT: ‘Are You an American?’ History at the Arizona Border WHEN: Thursday, March 9, 7:30pm to 8:30pm WHERE: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Auditorium, Marjorie Barrick Museum, Harry Reid Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
University Forum presents a lecture by professor Katherine Benton-Cohen, department of history, Georgetown University. Our speaker this evening explores the contentious and violent history of Arizona’s border and immigration politics. Beginning with the Bisbee Deportation of 1917, her lecture highlights the history of vigilantism at the Arizona border, as well as the surprising changes in how Arizonans have thought about race and citizenship during the twentieth century and beyond. She urges us to ask, “Who counts as an American?” and shows how history helps us to understand the answer.
GENOCIDE SURVIVOR SPEAKS IN MAINE
WHAT: Genocide Survivor Speaks WHEN: Friday, March 11,12:00 pm to 1:00 pm WHERE: University of Maine, Augusta, Katz Library
Rwandan genocide survivor, Jacqueline Murekatete, will speak about her experiences.
StudentNationFirst-person accounts from student activists, organizers and journalists reporting on youth-oriented movements for social justice, economic equality and tolerance.