All Events
Conscious Conversations Series
Unpacking the QTBIPOC Experience at UCSB
Alexander Cho, Terrell Winder, Angellina Querol and Fernanda Marin
MCC Theater (panel) and MCC Lounge (community event)
Getting to UCSB is a major accomplishment, and it’s only the start of students exploring academics, culture, and identities. In this journey of exploration, you may start to question the institutions currently in place when you realize they don’t make room for people holding underserved identities, especially when they hold multiple identities. Join us for a panel that will feature Prof. Alex Cho of the Asian American Studies department and Prof. Terrell Winder of the Sociology department along with UCSB student perspectives as we discuss, unpack, and learn about the many unique and varied QTBIPOC experiences and resources at UCSB. In this discussion, we hope to create a space where we can listen, learn, and possibly share our own stories of coming into the UCSB community as LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff of color. This event is open to all students and allies!
Panel: 5:00-6:30pm, MCC Theater
Community event: 6:30pm-7:30pm, MCC Lounge
Co- Sponsors: RCSGD
Speaker Bios:
Alexander Cho, PhD - Assistant Professor
Alexander Cho (he/they) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian American Studies at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, where he teaches courses on Asian American media studies as well as gender and sexuality studies. He researches how people use digital media with a particular emphasis on issues of race, gender, and sexuality, combining approaches from critical media studies and human-centered design. He is co-editor of a tumblr book: platform and cultures (University of Michigan Press) and is currently working on a monograph entitled Affect’s Engine: Race and Queerness on Peak Tumblr.
Terrell Winder, PhD - Assistant Professor
Terrell J. A. Winder is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests include race and ethnicity, sexuality and sexual health, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and education. He is a 2023 awardee of the Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders Award (Institute for Citizens and Scholars) and the recipient of the 2023 Jacquelyne Johnson Jackson Early Career Scholar Award from the Association of Black Sociologists. His current book project, Unspoiled: How Black Gay Youth Transform Racial and Sexual Stigma, is a multi-method examination of anti-gay stigma response among young Black gay men in Los Angeles.
Angellina Querol - MCC Student
Fernanda (Fer) Marin - they/elle, Trans Empowerment Coordinator
¡Hola! My name is Fernanda but you can call me Fer! It is my 4th year here at this beautiful UCSB campus and I am currently working on getting my degree in Sociology with a minor in Spanish. My experience here has definitely been shaped by being a first generation, Latine, nonbinary, and lesbian student so if you identify with any of those identities feel free to contact me! I am always here to support students in whatever way I can with all the resources I have. If you ever have any ideas/suggestions/concerns about something on campus, I am here to listen and make sure your voice is heard. I also love to talk about cooking, anime, reality tv, competition shows, music, art, and anything & everything queer! "
(facilitator) Micky Brown - MCC Program Coordinator: they/them/he/him
Art Exhibition Opening Reception
Art Reception: African American Quilters of Los Angeles
MCC Lounge
African American Quilters of Los Angeles (AAQLA) was founded in 1986 by a group of Bblack women who shared the love of quilting, whose goal is to increase the personal and public awareness and knowledge to support the expression of African American quilting, as well as celebrating and continuing the tradition of quilting. AAQLA has a broad outreach in the Los Angeles community with a diverse membership that reflects the growing interest in creating African American quilts and sharing quilted items to hospitals, foster homes, senior citizen centers, and in local quilt and art exhibits. Learn more at EASYSITE.COM/AAQLA
Palengke! Filipina/o/x Community Marketplace
MCC Lounge
Celebrated in October, Filipino American (Fil-Am) History Month honors the history, pursuits, accomplishments, and legacy of Filipinx in the United States. It also serves to provide a link between Filipinx in the U.S. and Filipinos in the Philippines by showcasing their shared culture and heritage. Tagalog is one of over 120 languages spoken in the Philippines and “palengke” is the Tagalog word for market. This evening centers and celebrates the diversity within the Filipinx community and all of the talents, skills, and trades it has to offer. Join us, various organizations, and creatives to enjoy delicious food, FREE self-care goodies, and so much more. We especially invite YOU to celebrate the Filipinx community as we highlight and empower our people through a night of music and good vibes.
Co- Sponsors: Kapatirang Pilipino
Harm Reduction Workshop: Building Skills and Knowledge for a World Without Police | in collaboration with Gauchos for Recovery
Maile Young, Kai Roldan and Kay Sosin - Facilitated by Osaze Osayande
MCC Lounge
Harm reduction is an approach to drug use that focuses on kindness, compassion, and respect—emphasizing practical goals and the needs for physical and emotional safety. The tabling segment of this event will offer free dinner and the opportunity to learn about local organizations that advance community safety and wellbeing through education and resources. At the hybrid panel, we will discuss the merits and challenges of advocating for harm reduction and how the drug decriminalization movement more broadly intersects with the abolitionist imagination.
5-6PM Dinner and Tabling. 6-7:30PM Panel on harm reduction in the context of abolitionist organizing on college campuses and beyond.
Co- Sponsors: EVPLA, EVPSA, Gauchos for Recovery, Public and Mental Health Coalition
Speaker Bios:
- Kai Roldan (he/they) graduated from UCSB with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and from Pacifica Graduate Institute with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. With a background in serving people with disabilities, and providing therapy to teenagers, Kai desires to be of service to others. As the Program Administrator, Kai supports SB ACT’s collaborative initiatives, provides general operational support for the organization, and assists in working with community partners. Kai is also a board member of SB Transgender Advocacy Network, an organization that provides resources for gender affirming care.
- Maile Young
- Kay Sosin
