Come ENVISION * NETWORK * STRATEGIZE * ACT with SPEaK
& other college students and Ethnic Studies activists.

This conference recognizes the critical importance of an Ethnic Studies
which breaks down the walls between universities and communities, which
analyzes the intersections of race with class, gender, nation and
sexuality, and which holds a far-reaching influence within the academy.

In the late 1960s, Ethnic Studies was born in the minds and movements of
students and people of color in universities across the nation. Despite
continued student activism and a growing body of research and studies,
more than 30 years later, Ethnic Studies budgets are being cut and Ethnic
Studies programs are not receiving the institutional support they have
been promised. We seek to organize ourselves to move Ethnic Studies
forward within the academy and in our communities to ensure that the
struggles of the students who came before us have not been in vain.

This conference seeks to create a strong, organized network of students
working to develop and strengthen Ethnic Studies in universities primarily
on the East Coast, but hopefully across the country in the future. We
hope this will be the first annual meeting of a formal regional network,
which will incorporate liaisons from each of the member schools, a
newsletter, and joint actions. If we coordinate our efforts and think
forward together, we will all be more effective in our struggles.

This conference is FREE, and includes dinner on Saturday, lunch on
Sunday and dorm housing on Friday and Saturday nights.
Registration instructions can be found at the bottom of this email.

* * *

::: Schedule :::

[All Conference events are in Lerner Student Center at 115th St & B'way.]

FRIDAY, FEB 1
3-7pm Conference Registration (5th Floor Lerner)
7-9pm Opening Session (567 Satow Room)
- Keynote: Jane Bai, CAAAV Executive Director
- Panel: Activism in Communities of Color & in the University

SATURDAY, FEB 2
9:00am Kick-Off Session / Art Project (555 Lerner)
10:15am Workshop 1
> Ethnic Studies 101
> Cultural Arts, Spoken Word & Ethnic Studies
> Language, Dialect & Multilingualism
> Media Activism: Ideas, Tactics & Challenges
> Transforming ES: Movement for Pacific Islander Empowerment
11:45am Workshop 2
> Gender Studies & Ethnic Studies: A Legal Marriage?
> Hiring, Tenuring & Retention of Faculty of Color
> Retention & Recruitment of Students of Color
> On Strike! Videos of the UC Berkeley & Columbia Protests
> Educational Equity & Equality in Our Schools
1:00pm Lunch Break
2:00pm Workshop 3
> ES in High Schools & Community Organizations
> Sustainability of Struggle: Beyond 4 Years
> University Cultural Centers & Ethnic Studies
> Successful ES Activism: Strategies & Lessons from Penn State
> Struggling for Equality: Leaders Who Have Created Change
3:30pm Workshop 4
> (Re)Envisioning Ethnic Studies Discussions
5:00pm Creating A Network Forum
6:00pm Communal Dinner (555 Lerner)
8:30pm Open Mic/Mural & Performance (555 Lerner)

SUNDAY, FEB 3
10:30am Network Committee Action Meeting
Workshop 5
> Creative & Effective Direct Action
> Ethnic Studies 101
> Gender Studies & Ethnic Studies: A Legal Marriage?
> Sustainability of Struggle: Beyond 4 Years
12:00pm Lunch & Closing Remarks
3:00pm Networking/Feedback/Departures

You must be registered to attend all conference events, except the Open
Mic on Saturday. To register, please e-mail the form below to Hallie at
[email protected] by January 31th. *No more free housing is available.
However, participants who are able to find their own housing, or those in
the NYC area are most welcome. You will receive follow-up info.*

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To register for the conference as an individual or school delegation,
please e-mail the form below to Hallie at [email protected].
*We encourage you to register before January 15th.*

ETHNIC STUDIES NOW! 2002 Conference Registration

1. Name(s) and email address(es) of conference attendee(s):

2. School, Location:

3. A phone # where we can reach you:

4. What do you want to get out of this conference? What topics would
you like to see explored in the workshops and panels?

5. Would you like to run a workshop at the conference? What would be
the topic? (We'll be contacting you about this if you say you do.)

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Getting to Columbia: Take 1/9 Subway to 116th St-Columbia University.
For more directions: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/aboutcolumbia/maps.html

* * *

SPEaK, Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge, has been speaking
truth to power since 1998. Founded by folks with roots in the 1996 hunger
strike and struggle that brought Latino Studies and Asian American Studies
programs to Columbia, SPEaK believes that as students, we should be active
in shaping our education. In the last four years, we have fought for
student input in decisionmaking processes and greater autonomy for Ethnic
Studies and Women's and Gender Studies programs, created extracurricular
spaces for dialogue about race, class, gender, and sexuality including an
underground student-run Native American Studies program, and curated
public art to express our visions of the world and our interpretations of
the historical and existing injustices around us, among other things.

Feel free to send questions, ideas, feedback or information to our core
committee at [email protected]. And visit our website for updates:

<<< http://www.columbia.edu/cu/speak >>>

This conference is also made possible by:
| The Center for the Study of Ethnicity & Race at Columbia University |
| United Students of Color Council |

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