2021 Global Issues Conference

Feb. 23 + 25, 2021: Unforgetting – Family, Migration, Healing

Missed the Conference? Watch the Video

The annual Global Issues Conference provides a platform for students to share their research and ideas. In line with the college's institutional core competencies, the conference is an opportunity for students to recognize their role as local, national and global citizens.

Global Issues ConferenceIt is our hope that the workshops in the conference encourage students to participate in the democratic process, practice respect for social and cultural diversity, appreciate the complexity of the physical world, and understand the significance of environmental sustainability.

The 2021 conference explored the theme of "Unforgetting: Family, Migration, Healing."

Part 1 on Feb. 23 included a screening and discussion of the film "Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America."

Part 2 on Feb. 25 featured a talk by Roberto Lovato, journalist and author of "Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs and Revolution in the Americas." (Read more about him below.)

Picture of Roberto Lovato

Picture of Javier Zamora

 Comments From the Audience:

  • "love your cadence emphasizing emotions and experience…"
  • "amazing - thank you for waking my spirit today!"
  • "Not to be dramatic, but I cried a bit lol"
  • "The beauty of embracing culture"
  • "Thank you for everyone one who organized this event. Thank you to LOVATO and ZAMORA <3"
  • "healing and connecting together <3"
  • "creating community is the beauty of these events !"
  • "wanna appreciate everyone here! Especially our guest speakers ! thank you for sharing your stories and beautiful words"
  • "Thank you so much you to Roberto and Javier for their amazing presentation, your work is absolutely beautiful and it is amazing to hear from you"
  • "Learning is amazing, we went through that growing process today. Thank you!"
  • "great event, thank you so much to everyone and thank you Roberto, amazing work"
  • "Thank you, it was such an honor to be here nd hear from both Roberto and Javier. You are such inspiring human beings <3 Your works are beautiful and really do talk to the heart!!"
 

Part 1: Harvest of Empire

  • Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021

  • 10 a.m. – Noon

Harvest of empire

Part 1 of the conference included a screening of the film "Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America," followed by a discussion in community.

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Part 2: Roberto Lovato

  • Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021

  • 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Lovato

In Part 2, we heard from Roberto Lovato, journalist and author of "Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs and Revolution in the Americas."

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Featured Speaker on Feb. 25: Roberto Lovato

Roberto LovatoRoberto Lovato is the author of "Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs and Revolution in the Americas," a New York Times “Editor’s Choice” that the paper also hailed as a “powerful” nonfiction book and a “groundbreaking memoir.” Newsweek listed Lovato’s memoir as a “must read” 2020 book and the Los Angeles Times listed it as one of its 20 Best Books of 2020.

Lovato is also an educator, journalist and writer based at The Writers Grotto in San Francisco. As a co-founder of #DignidadLiteraria, he helped build a movement advocating for equity and literary justice for the more than 60 million Latinx persons left off of bookshelves in the United States and out of the national dialogue.

A recipient of a reporting grant from the Pulitzer Center, Lovato has reported on numerous issues –violence, terrorism, the drug war and the refugee crisis – from Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Haiti, France and the United States, among other countries.

For more information, please email vidaofficestaff@gmail.com 


Past Conferences

Click these links to see highlights from previous years' events.

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