Events By Quarter
Remembering Violence and the Violence of Remembering
MCC Lounge
Khatharya Um, author of the recently published book From the Land of Shadows, will examine the conditions that produced the 1975-79 Cambodian genocide as well as the struggle of Cambodians, both in their homeland and in the diaspora, to live with and transcend this historic trauma. Khatharya Um is an Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley.
Race Matters Series
The United States and the Culture of Conquest
MCC Lounge
As 'Columbus Day' suggests, U.S. history dates back to the onset of European colonization of the Western Hemisphere. However, the entire continental mass of the U.S. today was conquered through a century of genocidal warfare against Indigenous peoples. The culture of conquest is embedded in our governing structures, foreign relations, internal social relations, and institutional structures. This mind-set, expressed in policing/incarceration and in the U.S. military aggression against non-European peoples, has produced a virulent and enduring racism both domestically and internationally. Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz – a historian, writer, feminist, and Professor Emerita of Ethnic Studies at CSU Hayward – argues that, without the colonial lens, we can neither understand nor eradicate racism.
Cup of Culture
Piku
MCC Theater
Piku juggles the demands of her life as a successful architect and caretaker of her 70-year old hypochondriac father. Getting a life of her own just doesn't seem possible—and not for the lack of trying. Piku is a quirky comedy about a daughter and father dealing with each other's conflicting world views while recognizing that they are each other's sole emotional support. There will be a performance by Andaaz Bollywood Fusion prior to the screening. (135 min, Hindi w/ English subtitles, 2016)
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGpuVWrhIzE
The MCC in Santa Barbara
An Evening of Spoken Word: Kahlil Almustafa
Rebar Coffee, 214 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA
Known as the “People’s Poet,” Kahlil Almustafa is the 2002 Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion. He is the author of four books of poetry and the debut CD CounterIntelligence. Almustafa is a skilled educator, mentoring more than 100 young people each year from New York City's five boroughs. His collection of 15 years of poetry, Growing Up Hip-Hop, is used in more than 40 classrooms nationally.
Kahlil will also be facilitating a free workshop for UCSB students called We Get Our Power from the Sun: Performance Poetry and Hip-Hop workshop on Thursday, April 21st, 12-3pm in the MCC Lounge.
