NU Social Justice Coalition

Social Justice Week 2014: Oppression at the Academy

Free and Open to the Public • All Events at Northwestern University • Twitter: #SJWeek

Monday, May 12

5 pm
50 Years Later: Reflections on the Jewish Quota at Northwestern
Hillel • Harris Hall L07

A variety of perspectives on the Jewish quota at Northwestern during the 1950s and 60s will be put into conversation with other quota systems that were in place at other academic institutions in the U.S. We will also look at the progress that has been made over the 50 years since the quota has been lifted at Northwestern. The panel will be moderated by Hillel Director Michael Simon.

7 pm
The University: A Place for Working Class Revolution
International Socialist Organization • Harris Hall L07

Is the modern Neoliberal University an appropriate place to organize against capitalism? What role can student activism play in dismantling systems of oppression that the University also perpetrates? Presentations by activists from Northwestern and Chicago and an audience discussion.

Tuesday, May 13

5 pm
Marginality as Site of Resistance: Subverting the Academy through Research
Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellows • University Hall 122

Join us as Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellows from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago discuss how their academic research projects in the humanities and social sciences interject into oppressive intellectual traditions. Through their investigations of sexism, Eurocentrism and heterosexism in academic discourses, the discussants will share how pursuing research on the margins opens up possibilities for subversion.

7 pm
$$$: Workers’ Rights and Neoliberalism at the University
Peace Project • University Hall 102

Come join Peace Project, Northwestern's oldest social justice / anti-war organization, for a talk on campus workers' rights as it relates to a larger pattern of neoliberal policies and greater strides towards corporate culture. Do you support our workers? Then come out to hear workers, students and academics speak on these evident developments on campus and globally.

Wednesday, May 14

5 pm
Where We Wear: An Open Panel on Style and its Surrounding Issues at Northwestern
Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance & STITCH Magazine • University Hall 122

Join NAISA and STITCH Magazine for a conversation on style, appropriation and oppression at NU, moderated by Alexander Weheliye, Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of African American Studies. Panelists include Dr. Michelle Wright, Associate Professor, Black European & African Diaspora Studies; Chad Infante, graduate student, President of the Colloquium on Indigeneity and Native American Studies; Daniel Flores, student, Founder of Mariachi Northwestern & Founder/Outgoing President of Northwestern Quest Scholars; María Córdova, student, UNITY Charity Fashion Show Model; and Kalina Silverman, student, Co-Founder of MIXED, Northwestern’s Mixed Race Student Coalition.

7 pm
Queering the Academy
Project ShoutOUT • Harris Hall L07

A panel will discuss the oppression of Queer bodies in the academy and how it effects oppression of Queer bodies outside of the Academy. The panel will also examine how Academic Queer bodies have privilege over Queer bodies outside the Academy and how Academic Queer bodies "legitimize" terms used outside the Academy and how Queers in the Academy legitimize and define system of Queerness.

Thursday, May 15

5 pm
We Won't Be Walled In: Resisting the Suppression of Palestine on American Campuses
Students for Justice in Palestine • University Hall 122

A student teach-in featuring activists from schools across Chicago and the Midwest on the recent pattern of attempts to silence Palestine activism and Palestinian narratives at schools across the country. Featuring students from Northwestern, U Michigan, DePaul, Loyola, and more!

7 pm
Undocumented and Unafraid! - On Campus and at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Arizona ASB & MEChA • University Hall 122

This spring break, 8 Northwestern students volunteered with the Tucson-based humanitarian aid organization, No More Deaths. Witnessing the effects of U.S.-Mexico border militarization first-hand, we soon realized that increased militarization amplifies the consequences of deportation--not only threatening migrants’ lives and safety on the border but also silencing undocumented students’ needs on college campuses. The border is not isolated to Arizona communities; it follows us to our community, here at Northwestern.

Come to this event to learn more about the U.S.-Mexico border, how it relates to challenges faced by undocumented students on campus, and how you can get involved in ending undocumented students’ oppression at the university!

Friday, May 16

4-7 pm
Concluding Public Forum & Veg-Friendly BBQ Party
Organizing Committee • Harris Hall 107/The Rock

Come to speak and listen: about oppressive structures at Northwestern, about any of the Social Justice Week events, about how we can organize to move forward. The forum will be followed by a party for continuing the conversation. Bring ideas, information, and food to share!