Forum on Tolerance animation

45th Forum on Tolerance
Black Lives Matter: The U.S. Journey Towards Justice and Healing.
PART 2

Virtual Event from April 12th-16th, 2021.

WITH OUR CONDEMNATION of the senseless murder of George Floyd as our catalyst, our virtual series will focus on the history of the harassment, profiling, and brutalization of our black citizens by the hands of community policing and the criminal justice system. We will explore steps that might be taken to reverse this systemic racism, help those who have been victimized by it, and heal as a nation and a community.

This forum was presented in collaboration North Shore Community College, Office of Student Engagement and with Salem State University Salem state university logo

Videos from Forum

Dr. ChenziRa Davis-Kahina

AfRaKan Healing TEA: Tolerance, Equity and Advocacy for Social Justice during UN-IDPAD

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Dr. ChenziRa Davis-Kahina is a cultural griot artist, educator, published author, motivational speaker, media technologist, ordained priestess, visionary, community activist, developer, mother, and grandmother. Dr. Davis-Kahina is a founder and managing director of Per Ankh (House of Life)—an international NGO/NPO promoting Culture, Healing, Arts, Technology and Education for Life, Inspiration, Freedom and Education (CHATS4LIFE). Dr. Davis-Kahina is an ordained ministerial priestess of the international spiritual fellowship and society- Per Ankh M Smai Tawi Ministries. Dr. Davis-Kahina's academic journeys include Rutgers (NCAS), Pepperdine (CA), UC San Diego (Fellow), International University of Natural Sciences (MX/CA), and other global research, production, ministerial, and teaching certifications. Dr. Davis-Kahina is the founding director of the Virgin Islands Caribbean Cultural Center (VICCC) and teaching faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) both at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI)- the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Caribbean and a Land Grant Institution. 

Which Side is Hip Hop on?

Join NSCC Professors Troy Smith and yusef Hayes for a Hip Hop Studies collaboration. Working with the song and video "Which Side Are You On?" Remix by Rebel Diaz ft. Dead Prez and Iriscience, this group will explore ideas of diversity, brotherhood, empowerment, political engagement, and class consciousness as expressed in and through Hip Hop culture.

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Dr. Tiffany Magnolia

Intercultural Communication Training

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Dr. Tiffany Magnolia, Ph.D. is Professor of English and Coordinator of the Honors Program at NSCC.  Dr. Magnolia has been involved with community organizing, labor organizing, and LGBT advocacy for over 30 years.  She lives in Lynn.

Diverse People United and Solidarity North Shore

Message 'from' the Grassroots: Discussion with local organizers, scholars, and activists

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This panel will include members from Diverse People United, and Solidarity North Shore. Both groups have been active in challenging existing systems of oppression while articulating and building a world of freedom and justice. Join them as they dialogue with each other and NSCC professor, yusef Hayes from the Cultural Arts Department.  

Keynote Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis Sean was born in Boston in 1974. His participation in the school integration program (METCO), allowed him to attend Needham Public Schools from kindergarten through 10th grade. Sean would eventually transfer to Dorchester High where obtained his high school diploma in 1991. In September of 1993 he was charged as a co-venturer in the murder of a Boston Police Detective. Two years later on September of 1995, after 3 jury trials, he was convicted of murder and robbery. In 2015, a Suffolk Superior Court judge overturned his convictions, ruling, "justice was not done," and in December of 2018, the prosecution dropped the murder and armed robbery charges.

 

Since being home Sean has helped to co-found the Exoneree Network and been a staunch advocate of criminal justice/prison reform. He is also involved with organizations such as the New England Innocence Project, The NAACP, Violence in Boston, MCAN, ECCO and The Ministry of Justice.

 

Sean’s recently released docu-series, Trial 4, has elevated his voice internationally. He continuously speaks about his experiences with racism and injustice within the criminal law system. A system that kept him behind bars for nearly 22 years for a crime he did not commit!

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Current District Attorney, Rachael Rollins

Reforming a Broken Justice System

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Rachael Rollins Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is the chief law enforcement official for Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Massachusetts, and oversees an office of approximately 300 people handling approximately 35,000 new cases each year. She took office on Jan. 2, 2019, as Suffolk County’s 16th district attorney, the first woman to be elected to that position in Suffolk County history, and the first woman of color ever to serve as a Massachusetts district attorney. 

STUDENT CONFERENCE

Listening and Acting on the Voices of our Students of Color

Salem State host, Junior Pena, video still
In this session, a panel of North Shore Community College and Salem State University students who identify as students of color will share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences being a student at their respective institution. The students will respond to a set of questions addressing the college’s responsiveness to their academic needs and the college’s efforts to support their academic success. Students will provide the college feedback on how to effectively empower students of color to successfully complete their degrees.  

 

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