Events By Quarter
Diversity Lecture
Plantation Politics in STEM
Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Online - REGISTRATION REQUIRED
In this talk, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein will consider the history of STEM and current frameworks around diversity and inclusion in context of the history of slavery and settler colonialism in the United States and beyond. They will point out the ways in which the past lives on in our present institutional structures and identify features that might characterize an Afrofuturist STEM.
Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. Originally from East L.A., Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is a graduate of Harvard College, University of California – Santa Cruz, and the University of Waterloo. One of under 100 Black American women to earn a PhD from a department of physics, she is a theoretical physicist with expertise in particle physics, cosmology, and astrophysics, with an emphasis on dark matter. In addition, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is a theorist of Black feminist science, technology, and society studies, and a monthly columnist for New Scientist. Her research and advocacy for marginalized people in physics and astronomy have won multiple awards, and her first book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, is now available from Bold Type Books.
REGISTRATION AT UCSB SHORELINE IS REQUIRED.
Conscious Conversations Series
Food Justice Panel
Nancy Aragon, Daniel Parra Hensel & Chuy Valle
In-person: MCC Theater
Join the UCSB MultiCultural Center for a panel discussion on food justice in our local community. Centering the experiences of local community organizers that have worked to address food insecurity, criminalization, and finding power in our neighbors, relatives, and non-human beings.
Reception in the MCC Lounge/courtyard at 5-6pm
In-Person Panel event in the MCC Theater at 6pm
Nancy Aragon (she/her/ella) is a queer, bruha, eco-feminist, born in the indigenous land of Cuzcatlan, known today as El Salvador. She grew up in North East Los Angeles and majored in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at California State University Los Angeles. Nancy’s politics includeintersectional feminism, pro-choice, no borders, black lives matter, ni una mas, body positivity, save the bees, return stolen land to indigenous people’s, water is life, prison abolition, abolish I.C.E, free them all, queer and trans liberation now, free Puerto Rico and free Palestine. Through urban farming, Nancy empowers people to advocate for food justice and food sovereignty, organic regenerative urban agriculture, public green spaces, and equitable, sustainable and regional food systems. Currently, she serves as the Farm Facilitator at the Roots for Peace community garden in South Central. She’s also working with a collective of femmes and non-binary herbalists of colors to build a queer feminist farmer co-op in Puerto Rico, a dream project that offers organic foods, herbs and roots as a tool of liberation and justice for communities impacted by systemic oppression. When she is not slaying the patriarchy, you can find Nancy reading up on queer ecology and tending to her medicinal garden!
Daniel Parra Hensel is a full-time agroecology educator, consultant and organizer. In 2015 Daniel joined the Environmental Horticulture department as an adjunct faculty member at Santa Barbara City College where he teaches two permaculture design courses; Resilient Community Design and Regenerative Agroecology. He is the vermicompost manager at Gaviota SOIL, the project coordinator for the Santa Barbara area California Alliance of Community Composting and the co-coordinator for the Somos Semillas Food Sovereignty Garden, a project of El Centro Santa Barbara. Daniels' work and organizing is focused on ecological justice which explores the political, economic and ecological challenges in our food system and society. Daniel has a passion for place based pedagogy with a philosophy focused on disability justice, thoughtful communication and conversation, and practical application of ecological concepts towards our social movements. His focus lies in co-create mutually beneficial alternatives, strategies and solutions to local challenges that fall at the intersection of ecological degradation and social inequity.
Chuy Valle (they/them/elle) was born on Chumash land and raised between Chumash land and rural Mexico. For Chuy, food has always been a central piece in their connection with culture, identity, and community building. They strongly believe that food sovereignty is a crucial way in which we can construct healthier spaces of belonging. They have been involved in local mutual aid, resistance work, cooperatives, and different urban garden projects.Their larger community vision centers around (re)imagining our futures through stories and action in order to honor our interconnectedness and (re)build our relationship to land and each other. As a queer person of color and a child to migrants, they find it important to always politicize and expand our notion of food justice and access in order to build out a more inclusive society.
Cup of Culture
Waves
Director: Trey Edward Shults
In-person: MCC Theater
Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family - led by a well-intentional but domineering father - as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. From acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a heartrending story about the universal capacity for compassion and growth even in the darkest of times. 2019. 2h 15min.
Spoken Word
Open Mic and An Evening of Self Expression
MC: Keith Mar
MCC Lounge
The MCC hosts a quarterly open mic for all to artistically express themselves using any creative outlets including spoken word, poetry, music, and dance. All are welcome to attend and participate!
This quarter’s MC will be Keith Mar, a spoken word poet who works in images, colors and unflinchingly honest personal stories. His poetry asks questions about race, identity, self-love and social justice. Intensely personal, his work seeks moments of emotional connection through the depiction of universal experiences.
Keith believes that spoken word can build bridges between communities, help celebrate roots and inspire a sense of social connection at a time our culture is urgently in need of it. Keith has been an invited poet to ethnic festivals, literary readings, writing workshops, cultural celebrations, political events, benefits, national podcasts on race, television and radio programs, art exhibits, and numerous universities and graduate programs. For many years, he has used his poetry to deepen the cultural awareness of graduate students studying multicultural counseling at numerous universities. He has also been an MC for an Evening of Spoken Word, UCSB Multicultural Center and a poetry workshop leader for the Center for Equity and Social Justice, SBCC.
