Watch: The Final Two Plenaries From Facing Race 2012
To close out our coverage of Facing Race 2012, here’s the two plenarie sessions from the second day, Nov. 17. (Note: Slightly NSFW – occasional curse words)
First up is “”Race and Gender in the 21st Century,” moderated by the founder and president of the Center for Social Inclusion, Maya Wiley, a discussion that starts with the question, “How is race constructed, and why do we construct it?”
On the panel are:
- Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, executive director at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
- Janet Mock, staff editor at People.com
- Michael Omi, who teaches Asian American Studies and Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of California-Berkeley
- Critical Race Theory professor Christian Sundquist, who teaches at Albany Law School
The plenary closes with a performance of “We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic,” by Amirah Sackett and Khadijah and Iman Sifterllah-Griffin. Via the great Avory Faucette, here’s an excerpt:
The final plenary, “Culture Trumps Politics: Or Does It?,” is moderated by Applied Research Center’s Rinku Sen, and features:
- Journalist/author Jeff Chang (Can’t Stop Won’t Stop)
- TV writer Lolis Eric Elie (Treme)
- Comedian Negin Farsad (The Muslims Are Coming)
- Journalist and immigration advocate José Antonio Vargas
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As Chang asserts in a video clip early on, cultural change is often a harbinger of political shifts, but even as he agrees, Varga says the current cultural landscape has led to a redefinition of what constitutes a “minority.”