AM BREAKOUT SESSIONS

In today’s digital era, technology is restructuring society, catalyzing fundamental shifts across the multitude of systems that define how we relate to one another. Its influence on all spheres of life presents immense possibilities for both belonging and othering. How can we use technology to bridge divides and to include those on the margins? How is technology for belonging created differently than technology that others? How can we better understand the technology tools we use or that are used on us? We’ll learn about innovative answers to these questions and learn daily technology...

Since the colonization of what is now known as the United States, Black and Native people have had parallel experiences of violence and oppression, and have been in each other's lives in different ways. While some Native groups provided sanctuary to formerly enslaved Africans, others made a lucrative business returning runaway enslaved people. While some Africans helped Natives, other Africans played a significant role in battles against Native Americans. Today a group of Black and Native advocacy leaders and culture-bearers recognize the importance of working together to address climate...

Over the last year, the pandemic has kept us apart and relegated many of our connections to virtual spaces. But it has also been a chance to reorient ourselves to life and relationships at the neighborhood level. How can one-to-one relationships between neighbors plant the seeds for systems change, different ways of living collectively, and bridges to belonging? Explore connections between a range of bridging efforts rooted in everyday moments of interpersonal connection ― from community care and solidarity through mutual aid organizing, to campaigns that are reimagining community safety...

Diasporas – or communities of people living outside of their original homeland – are no monolith. The pathway to a new home may be paved with the push of forced displacement or with the promise of better economic conditions. And, of course, all migration must be placed in the context of the structural forces of empire, colonization, capitalism, and the escalating climate crisis. Across these different origin stories, diaspora communities, organizations, and movements are increasingly influential in both their new homes and countries of origin. However, this influence is distributed unevenly...

Since the start of the pandemic, we have witnessed a frightening increase in anti-Asian violence in the California Bay Area, particularly within Oakland and San Francisco Chinatown. Still, this type of violence is not new— South Asian and Sikh communities in the Bay also faced high rates of discrimination and violence following 9/11, similarly bearing the brunt of misplaced blame for a national crisis. Asian community members in the region want to prevent further violence from taking place in their neighborhoods, but they are an ideologically diverse group who have different ideas on whether...

Faith leaders of many religions have long been at the forefront of movements for social justice, and yet are often overlooked in the stories and narratives we tell about those very fights. This is perhaps due to a longstanding discomfort and disconnect between secular justice leaders and those who are faith-based, despite the central role that religious belief and spiritual communities play in the lives of people of all backgrounds. Indeed, it may be deeply remiss for those of us fighting for justice and belonging to overlook the opportunities inherent in bridging with faith and spiritual...

Are you grappling with how to move the needle in addressing racial and social justice? Studio Pathways provides profound creative action to activate and embody the changes you're seeking. Known for their bridging practices for effective cultural shifts within educational and organizational spaces, Mariah and Jessa invite you to engage with Breaking Patterns. This creative experience will support you to examine personal and systemic patterns and how to create new ones through artful thinking. Please bring pieces of scrap paper for collage, something to write on and something to write with...