Presented by ASUO Women’s Center
Sponsored by Sociology, UO Division of Student Life, UO College of Education, and ASUO
Film:
- Prince Lucien Campbell 180
- Wednesday, February, 24, 2016
- 6:00 p.m.
Panel:
- Friday, February 26, 2016
- 5:00 p.m.
- EMU Ballroom
From the ASUO Women’s Center Racial Justice Coordinator: "The reason I chose the New Jersey 4 to come and speak at our annual WOC speaker series is because it highlights various different intersecting identities and the oppression that comes with that. With emergence of the black lives matter movement and LGBTQ issues beginning to be at the center of debates of about inequality in this country. I thought it was particularly important to highlight the intersectionality of these issues. That while some people face oppression, discrimination and hate for the former and the latter. A lot of people walk through life experiencing both types of oppression simultaneously. It is important to examine the way criminal justice system, our media, and society treats people who are LGBTQ and a person of color. It is important to see the ways these things manifest and how we can bring racial justice issues and LGBTQ issues as one social movement striving for social equity." —Akilah Powell
The Lyllye B. Parker Women of Color Speaker Series aims to honor the work that people have done before us in the fight for social justice by continuing to build bridges that lead to positive change. This year we have the honor of having three of the people involved in the case of the New Jersey 4 visiting our campus for a speaker panel followed by a question and answer on February 26th at 5 p.m. at the EMU Ballroom on the University of Oregon Campus. Two days prior, on February 24th at 6p.m. in PLC 180, director Blair Dorosh-Walther will be speaker about the film after the screening.
About the Speakers:
- Renata Hill is currently a full-time student on the path to earn an Associate’s degree in Human Services at the Borough of Manhattan Community College and will then work to get her master’s degree in Social Work. She has toured the country speaking out for this case and also for all women who are incarcerated for defending themselves. She spoke to a room of over 1600 people at the national INCITE! Color of Violence Conference in Chicago in March 2015. She is a sought after by universities and colleges nationwide to continue speaking as an advocate. Renata is ferociously protective of people around her and she has an incredible sense of humor that has probably been her greatest source of strength throughout her life.
- Patreese Johnson is a femme-identified poet. She is the youngest of four brothers and one sister. She grew up as the youngest on the block in her tight-knit community in Newark, New Jersey. She is fiercely empathetic with a big heart. While incarcerated she received her GED and ran a support group for women who were survivors of domestic violence. Since her release, she has enrolled at Essex County Community College, studying for Associates degree in Liberal Arts. She has been touring nationally with the film and spoke at the Creating Change Conference in Denver in February 2015. Patreese dreams of opening a spa one day “so that women will have a place to take a break from the everyday struggles of life.” She is currently working two part-time jobs, one as a personal assistant to children’s author, Jacqueline Woodson.
- Venice Brown earned her GED from Cape Fear Community College. She received her Cosmetology License from the College of Wilmington, North Carolina where she lives and works part-time at a hair salon and at Cape Fear College. She had a baby boy, Jasiah, who just turned four and co-parents with her girlfriend whom she has known since they were twelve years old. As Venice’s mom says, “Venice would give you the shirt off her back, but do not disrespect her friends.”
- Blair Dorosh-Walther identifies as gender non-conforming and uses both male and female pronouns, is a social issue documentary director, experienced production designer, and artist with a passion for inspiring action for social justice through media. Blair graduated with a BFA in Film from NYU and was awarded the Adam Balsano Award for social significance in documentary filmmaking.
About the Speaker Series:
The Lyllye B. Parker Women of Color Speaker Series was named to honor the legacy and work of Ms. Lyllye B. Parker in 2010 at an inaugural event featuring Dr. Angela Davis. In its fifth year under this title, the series honors the legacy that Ms. Lyllye created at the University of Oregon and in Eugene. Coming from one of the first African American families to settle in Eugene, Ms. Lyllye was told in high school her only career options were to be a hairdresser, a nurse or to pursue Home Economics. Going against the advice of that high school guidance counselor, Ms. Parker went back to school in her 40’s to earn her bachelor’s degree. Ms. Parker earned a degree in Sociology at the University of Oregon and upon graduating she accepted a position as an Academic Advisor in the Office of Multicultural Academic Support (OMAS) now the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE). In her 17 years at OMAS, she mentored hundreds of young students of color in pursuing their dreams. Ms. Parker continues to give back to the Lane County community through her volunteer work.
Out in the Night (2014) Film Synopsis:
“Under the neon lights in a gay-friendly neighborhood of New York City, four young African-American lesbians are violently and sexually threatened by a man on the street. They defend themselves against him and are charged and convicted in the courts and in the media as a ‘Gang of Killer Lesbians'.
Prince Lucien Campbell 180
Wednesday, February, 24, 2016
6:00 p.m.
About the Speaker Series:
The Lyllye B. Parker Women of Color Speaker Series was named to honor the legacy and work of Ms. Lyllye B. Parker in 2010 at an inaugural event featuring Dr. Angela Davis. In its fifth year under this title, the series honors the legacy that Ms. Lyllye created at the University of Oregon and in Eugene. Coming from one of the first African American families to settle in Eugene, Ms. Lyllye was told in high school her only career options were to be a hairdresser, a nurse or to pursue Home Economics. Going against the advice of that high school guidance counselor, Ms. Parker went back to school in her 40’s to earn her bachelor’s degree. Ms. Parker earned a degree in Sociology at the University of Oregon and upon graduating she accepted a position as an Academic Advisor in the Office of Multicultural Academic Support (OMAS) now the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE). In her 17 years at OMAS, she mentored hundreds of young students of color in pursuing their dreams. Ms. Parker continues to give back to the Lane County community through her volunteer work.