Center for Civic Engagement

Hofstra University's Center for Civic Engagement presents:
Civil Rights Day
Wednesday February 26, 2020

CIVIL RIGHTS:  RIGHTS HERE, RIGHT NOW!

10:10-11:05 am
MPR East
Present Day Civil Rights and the Constitution-
Hosted by:  CCE Fellow Alex Attilli'23 and Mark Niles, Professor of Law, Maurice A. Deane School of Law, Hofstra University
A brief history of Civil Rights Law from the Reconstruction to the present.

11:15 am-12:45 pm
Roosevelt Hall, room 203
Visual Rhetoric and Representations of the Amistad Mutiny
Speaker:  Lisa Merrill, Professor of Writing Studies and Rhetoric, Hofstra University, sponsored by the Center for "Race," Culture, and Social Justice Colloquia Series
Dr. Merrill will explore visual rhetoric and how images of the successful Amistad resistance inspired others to rebel against enslavement.

11:15 am-12:45 pm
MPR East
Does the Americans with Disabilities Act Work in America? - Hosted by CCE Fellow Daria Valan'21
Panelists: Julie Yindra, Director of Student Access Services, Division of Student Affairs, Hofstra University; Rebecca C. Serbin, Staff Attorney for Disability Rights Advocates; Marc Fliedner, Director of PAIMI and PAIR Programs for Disability Rights New York
This panel will discuss the history of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as well as its purpose and impact today.

12:50-2:15 pm
MPR East
Taking Action to End Housing Discrimination on Long Island
Speakers:  Richard Helling, Rehabilitation Counselor and Martine Hackett, Associate Professor of Health Professions, Hofstra University
Two housing testers in the important 3-year project to uncover and document racial discrimination in the housing industry on Long Island tell their stories and raise issues about enduring systemic racism in our area.

2:55-4:20 pm
MPR East
How to Increase Respect and Acceptance on Hofstra's Campus: a Deliberative Dialogue
Host: Kari Jensen, Associate Professor of Global Studies and Geography; Hofstra University
Speakers: Tomeka Robinson, Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Public Advocacy, Hofstra University, and Santiago Slabodsky, Robert and Florence Kaufman Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies and Associate Professor of Religion, Hofstra University
How can we promote respect for and acceptance of people who are different from ourselves?  How can we make sure social justice prevails on Hofstra's campus?  How can we eliminate discrimination?  We need your help! Join us for our deliberative dialogue session during Civil Rights Day.

4:30-5:55 pm
MPR East
Protecting Immigration Rights in 2020
Speaker: Susan Gottehrer, New York Civil Liberties Union 
New York has been especially affected by the deportation agenda of the current administration and by local anti-immigrant ordinances.  The NYCLU's work will be discussed, as they aggressively challenge unlawful immigration detention, secure the rights of immigrant children to be reunited with their families, confront hate and xenophobia, champion local and state immigrant protections, defeat unjust local ordinances, and ensure that immigrant communities know their rights.

Supported by: Dean's Office of the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Hofstra University Honors College, and the Center for "Race," Culture, and Social Justice

For more information, please contact: 
Andrea Libresco, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology, Hofstra University, Andrea.S.Libresco[at]hofstra.edu


2019 schedule