Events

Distinguished featured speakers, Arnie Graf and Hahrie Han will discuss how community organizing can lead to more just economies and societies. Grassroots organizing and collective action have always been fundamental to U.S. democracy and progressive social change. Yet some instances of collective action have been especially successful. What’s the difference between a social movement that wins victories for its constituents, and one that fails? What are the factors that make collective action powerful and effective? These questions will be addressed through an examination of the Industrial Areas Foundation organizing model, one of the largest and longstanding community organizing groups in the United States.

Against crushing odds, workers at the Amazon distribution center in Staten Island, New York, voted to form the Amazon Labor Union on April 1, 2022. Chris Smalls and Derrick Palmer were two of the leaders of this grassroots effort and will talk about how they were able to organize their coworkers to support a union, despite very few financial resources and Amazon’s intense union-busting tactics. Come learn about how workers won this historic victory against one of the world's most powerful corporations and what comes next!

***Click here to watch the video recording of this event***

Despite Brazil’s long history of structural racism, the Brazilian Black Movement is one of the most successful social movements in the last 40 years. Some of the major achievements of the Brazilian Black Movement have been in the area of education. In this talk, Professor Pereira will discuss the historical and contemporary strategies of the Brazilian Black Movement, focusing specifically on their activism in schools and universities. This event is in-person with a remote option. Registration required if attending via Zoom. Co-sponsored by Latin American Studies and the Africana Research Center