SOCIAL JUSTICE LITERACY: PRESENTATION & WORKSHOP SESSIONS (Thursday, october 12th)
Social Justice Literacy begins with learning. Join us on Thursday, October 12th for a day full of presentations and workshops regarding social justice literacy with friends, community members, and professionals from across the country. Each session offers opportunities to connect with others who are engaging in social justice work in different ways, to learn about current social justice efforts happening locally, and more about how you can show up for your community. Happening from 9am-5pm in the Wyoming Union, all sessions are scheduled consecutively so that guests may attend all sessions offered. Admission and lunch are free!
United Against Hate: Identifying, Reporting & Preventing Hate Crimes
Time: 9 :00 am to 9:50 am MST
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Family Room (Room #212)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Family Room (Room #212)
Presenters:
- Eric Heimann (U.S. Attorney's Office, US Dept. of Justice)
- Eric Heimann is the First Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming. Mr. Heimann has been an attorney for over 17 years, with 16 years’ experience prosecuting a variety of crimes in federal and state courts.
- Jasmine Peters (U.S. Attorney's Office, US Dept. of Justice)
- Jasmine Peters is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) and has been an attorney for 7 years. Ms. Peters serves as the Civil Rights Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
- Department of Justice (DOJ)'s United Against Hate initiative is meant to be a collaboration between USAOs, law enforcement, and community groups. Abstract/Session Description: DOJ’s United Against Hate program uses hypotheticals and videos depicting real-life hate crimes to define hate crimes versus hate incidents, encourage reporting of unlawful acts of hate, provide options for responding to hate incidents that are not crimes, and distinguish unlawful conduct from protected First Amendment speech.
Changing the World with the Stories We Tell
Time: 10:00 am to 10:50 am
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Big Horn Room (Room #203)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Big Horn Room (Room #203)
Presenters:
- Bob Vines (University of Wyoming Violence Prevention Coordinator)
- Storytelling has always played a significant role in Bob Vines’ life. As a newspaper editor, Bob was attracted to stories of the underdogs, the unlucky, and the unique. As a courtroom advocate, Bob helped victims of crime find their own voice while crafting impact statements and preparing for testimony. As a prevention specialist for the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Bob used storytelling as a catalyst for social change by providing a stage for Wyoming’s men to show the spectrum of healthy masculinity through personal stories. As of October 1st, Bob will continue his violence prevention work as the Violence Prevention Coordinator for the University of Wyoming.
- Storytelling is ingrained in our DNA. It is also the most effective tool to invoke culture change. When we share our stories, something amazing happens. Our brain begins to synch with the storyteller and we begin to learn empathy, we begin to think more positively about an individual and groups of people, we reduce negative biases and prejudices, and we begin to see similarities with others. By using dominant stories we have been taught through socialization, yet, provide a counter story to that negative narrative, we begin to change perceptions, and eventually, cultural norms. Bob will help guide us through using this ancient practice to create empathy and connection with everyone in the room.
Laramie Then & Laramie Now: Remembering Matthew Shepard & Free Lunch
Time: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Yellowstone Ballrooms (Room #220)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Yellowstone Ballrooms (Room #220)
Presenters:
- Nichol Bondurant
- She’s been a literature and composition teacher for 23 years, 21 at Laramie High School and 20 of it, she’s sponsored Laramie High School’s ever-evolving “GSA,” which is now known as LEADS (LHS Equality and Diversity Squad). Along with sponsoring LEADS, in the last 21 years - she’s also been an advisor to several other academic and humanitarian or justice organizations at LHS such as Amnesty International, Peacejam, Sources of Strength, and presently, she is an advisor for Academic Decathlon, Z-Club, Multicultural Club, and LEADS. This along with working with amazing students in literature classes has given her the opportunity to work with teen activists and folks dedicated to humanitarian and environmental causes for over two decades. Educationally, she has degrees in Women’s Studies, English, and Secondary Ed as well as a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in English Language Learning and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Outside of school organizations, Nichol is a member of the Safe Project Board, Albany County Democratic Committee, and Zonta. Along with enjoying time with her spouse, local chiropractor - Brent- and their menagerie of 2 dogs and 2 cats, she loves yoga, working out, thought provoking podcasts, going to fun concerts, and observing the impact her two powerful adult daughters - Alanna and Josie - and multitudes of students and former students are all making to move this world into a better place.
- Zebadiah Hall (Vice President of the University of Wyoming's Office of Diversity Equity & Inclusion)
- Zebadiah Hall identifies as a Black man and uses he and him pronouns. He is the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Wyoming (UW). Prior to his appointment at UW, he was the Director of Student Disability Services (SDS) at Cornell University. He shifted SDS to a civil rights for social justice model instead of the medical model approach to determining accommodation. Zebadiah has worked in higher education in various departments such as Admissions, Academic Support, as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, and Disability Support Services. He served as the President of the State of Indiana’s Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) chapter from 2013-2014. He served a three-year term as a board member of AHEAD's national organization as the Equity Officer. Zebadiah was named the 2023 award winner of the AHEAD's Duraese Hall Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion. He is a regular speaker and facilitator on topics around diversity, equity and inclusion and includes disability in the inclusion conversation.
- Zebadiah worked at three institutions at the Director of Disability Resource Centers
- Most recently he was the Director, of Disability Support Services at Cornell University
- Zebadiah has sat on the board for the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Sciences
- Zebadiah currently sits on the board of directors for Associate Higher Education and Disability
- He currently is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Wyoming
- Zebadiah Hall identifies as a Black man and uses he and him pronouns. He is the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Wyoming (UW). Prior to his appointment at UW, he was the Director of Student Disability Services (SDS) at Cornell University. He shifted SDS to a civil rights for social justice model instead of the medical model approach to determining accommodation. Zebadiah has worked in higher education in various departments such as Admissions, Academic Support, as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, and Disability Support Services. He served as the President of the State of Indiana’s Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) chapter from 2013-2014. He served a three-year term as a board member of AHEAD's national organization as the Equity Officer. Zebadiah was named the 2023 award winner of the AHEAD's Duraese Hall Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion. He is a regular speaker and facilitator on topics around diversity, equity and inclusion and includes disability in the inclusion conversation.
- Chris Rothfuss
- Christi Boggs (University of Wyoming Associate Director, Digital Teaching & Learning, ECTL, UW Instructor, School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice, Co-Coach of UW Nordic Ski Team)
- I have been honored to call Laramie home for 25 years. I love the mountains, the plains, the snow, the sun, the community, the people. I am the Associate Director of Digital and Inclusive Teaching and Learning at the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and learning. I am a teacher. It is what I aspire to, what I love, and all I have ever wanted to be. I am a coach. For 25 years I have co-coached the University of Wyoming Men’s and Women’s Nordic Ski Teams. I am a Social & Environmental Justice warrior. To me this means honoring all ways of knowing and being. I work to create an environment which is safe and supportive and within which the magnificent variety of human experience and difference is celebrated. This includes ways of being and knowing that are connected to spirituality, the earth, the environment, nature… everything in an interconnected web of beauty.
- Sara Burlingame (Wyoming Equality, Executive Director)
- Brian Harrington (Mayor of the City of Laramie)
- Brian Harrington serves as Laramie’s Mayor. Following a childhood in small town northern Wyoming, Brian moved to Laramie in 2010. Brian owns two creative sector businesses.
- Brian Harrington serves as Laramie’s Mayor. Following a childhood in small town northern Wyoming, Brian moved to Laramie in 2010. Brian owns two creative sector businesses.
- In this keystone panel, we are fortunate to hear perspectives from compassionate educators; local leaders, change makers---all of them social justice powerhouses in Laramie and in Wyoming. Panelists will touch on topics such as:
In what ways did Matt Shepard's murder, 25 years ago, shape Laramie and shape you as humans? What social aspects of living in Laramie and in Wyoming have changed in the past 25 years; what aspects have not changed much at all? What have you learned about the work of social justice during the last 25 years? What issues around Matthew Shepard's murder do we need to never forget? Some of our panelists lived in Laramie in 1998, when Matt Shepard was killed; all panelists live in Wyoming or in Laramie now. Please join us to reflect with individuals who are pushing for positive change in our world.
- University of Wyoming Catering, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available (enough for 100, first come first served)
The Making of Me - shaping identity through the language of movement
Time: 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Yellowstone Ballrooms (Room #220)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Yellowstone Ballrooms (Room #220)
Presenters:
- Aaron M. Wood (University of Wyoming's Department of Theatre and Dance)
- Aaron M. Wood (he/him) is a choreographer, educator, dancer, and mixed-media designer. His research interests include the intersectionality of gender with social and political landscapes, as explored through the integration of multi-media elements and diverse movement modalities. www.aaronmwood.com
- Jackson Ellison (University of Wyoming's Department of Theatre and Dance)
- Jackson Ellison, a Senior BFA Dance Performance major at UW, is originally from Riverton, WY. Dancing for 13 years, Jackson’s favorite style of dance is contemporary modern because of how diverse and abstract the style is, and how his body feels when dancing this movement modality.
- The Making of Me - shaping identity through the language of movement, asks audiences to consider choices one makes when defining others and self. How does one’s literacy inform and reflect personal language choices and how do those choices then inform and define personal and community narrative through movement? Additional presentation information: This session will include an 8-minute discussion focusing on the creation and reconstruction of “The Making of Me”, a modern dance work created in 2006 as part of my graduate thesis research. Following the discussion, Jackson Ellison, a UW dance performance major, will perform the 12-minute solo live. Note, “The Making of Me” was one of 30 dances selected out of 400 nationally adjudicated works to perform at the 2023 American College Dance Association National Festival in May of this year. This was a remarkable honor and recognition for the University of Wyoming and the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Where is it Safe for Transgender People to Exist in the United States?
Time: 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Big Horn Room (Room #203)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Big Horn Room (Room #203)
Presenters:
- Louise Larrew (UW's Political Science Department.)
- Louise Larrew is a political science student at the University of Wyoming. She has research interests in Human Geography. Abstract/Session Description:
- We will examine how mapping techniques can be effectively used to examine the both the legal and extralegal threats Transgender people face in all parts of the United States.The session will begin with definitions, followed by methods, research questions, ending with maps, including my analysis. At the end attendees will be shown a QR code that links to an online narrative walkthrough of my interactive maps
Enhancing Resilience for All Through Action Planning
Time: 2:30 pm to 3:20 pm
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Family Room (Room #212)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Family Room (Room #212)
Presenters:
- Amy Galley (LCSW, Director) (Western Wyoming Community College Wellbeing & Accessibility)
- Amy is the director of Well-being & Accessibility at Western Wyoming Community College and is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in human services for nearly twenty five years with clients throughout the lifespan.
- Haley Rawlings, (LPC, Counselor) (Western Wyoming Community College Wellbeing & Accessibility)
- Haley Rawlings, LPC (Counselor), is a counselor at Western Wyoming Community College and has counseled college students of all ages for the past 4 years.
- Mya Boren (Peer Specialist) (Western Wyoming Community College Wellbeing & Accessibility)
- Mya Boren (Peer Specialist) is a certified peer specialist and yoga instructor who uses her lived experience with mental health to assist students for three years although she has worked in various roles in mental health for well over a decade.
- Lyndsey Love BS (Accessibility Specialist) (Western Wyoming Community College Wellbeing & Accessibility)
- Lyndsey Love BS (Accessibility Specialist) has worked at Western for nearly eight years and has worked as the Accessibility Specialist for three years working directly with and advocating for students with disabilities
- Torie Bertagnolli (BAS, Academic Coach) (Western Wyoming Community College Wellbeing & Accessibility)
- Torie Bertagnolli, BAS (Academic Coach) is an academic coach at Western but worked in Wellbeing & Accessibility for two years before moving into her current role where she worked directly with students to assess and assure students needs were met.
- This session will identify action planning as a method to build resilience in all people but particularly on individuals who are most affected by injustice. In addition, this session will explore the benefits of action planning as a method to build resilience as a prevention method. Resilience is particularly important for populations affected most by injustice as they are daily faced with unique challenges or lack the privileges of others weather that be due to race, class, LGBTQ+, sex, etc.. Action planning is a SAMSHA best practice which builds resilience, assists in promotion of health, mental health, wellness, and decreases substance abuse/use & suicide in all individuals. Resilience is increasingly important for those who face increased barriers in today's society and political climate and can be easily implemented into your life and work.
Epistemic Activism: Tactics for Fighting Ignorance
Time: 3:20 pm to 4:20 pm
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Big Horn Room (Room #203)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Big Horn Room (Room #203)
Presenters:
- Robby Bishop (UW Advising, Career, & Exploratory Studies)
- Robby Bishop is a lifelong educator, who has taught English both in the United States and abroad, and now works as academic advisor. He holds an M.A. in English from UW, and his research focuses on the individual, institutional, and cultural tendencies that prevent people from viewing others as credible and capable knowers.
- When addressing ignorance about social justice issues, it is important to understand the forms ignorance can take. I will outline different types of ignorance (from the naïve to the intentional) and suggest that each type demands a specific mode of activism. If you want to change minds, what should your tactics be?
Youth Voice / Youth Action
Time: 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Family Room (Room #212)
Presenters:
Location: Wyoming Student Union (Second Floor), Family Room (Room #212)
Presenters:
- Aubrey Edwards (Youth Justice Institute Alumni)
- Aubrey is a youth advocate and a healing-centered / trauma-sensitive arts educator.She uses her background in anthropology to connect organizations, policy makers, artists and teachers in jointly amplifying youth voice and action.
- For decades, Wyoming kids have been placed in juvenile facilities well above the national average. Learn more about the Youth Justice Institute, where young folks engage with advocacy tools while making media and interrogating the state’s juvenile justice system, centering their voices in conversations around juvenile justice reform in Wyoming. More session information: The annual Youth Justice Institute is grounded in exploring and interrogating Wyoming’s juvenile justice system. YJI embraces three main components. First, let’s be in community while engaging in conversations with adults and youth allies in Laramie whose work centers around advocacy, policy making, law, social justice, and restorative justice. Second, let’s map resources in Albany County by surveying organizations, places, and people that are available to support teens. Lastly, let’s learn from local teaching artists and create space and time for reflection through art making. Aubrey Edwards will present alongside alum of the Youth Justice Institue. Aubrey will take a support and facilitator role, to create a space and forum for alum to talk about their own experiences and perspectives. They will talk about why youth voice and youth action matter in our state, against a backdrop of the hightest youth suicide rates and highest youth incarceration rates in the nation. As adults we are in a unique position to use our power and privilege to advocate for and support young people. As an adult, how do you engage in this work? How can you engage in this work? Listen to young folks as you reflect on these questions.