Social Justice Symposium

The idea for the Social Justice Symposium was born in the spring of 2006 out of students’ concerns that the spring semester begins the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day without the School of Social Welfare communally recognizing his impact and legacy. A group of interested students worked together to plan a day that celebrates the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his fight for a more just world by highlighting some of the social justice issues frequently dealt with in this line of work and how to address them. We hope that this year's Social Justice Symposium will build on the success of the inaugural Symposium in January 2007.

We collectively wrote a definition of social justice we feel embodies the spirit of this event.

Social Justice is a process, not an outcome, which (1) seeks fair (re)distribution of resources, opportunities, and responsibilities; (2) challenges the roots of oppression and injustice; (3) empowers all people to exercise self-determination and realize their full potential; (4) and builds social solidarity and community capacity for collaborative action.

The workshops are broken into the following three categories: Consciousness-Raising, Skills for Practice, and Self-Reflection. We hope that attendees will chose to attend one of each type of workshop.

1. What Every Social Worker Should Know About Grassroots Community Organizing, Claudia Albano (Skills for Practice) (Registration closed for this workshop)
2. Sex Workers Rights & Social Workers Roles: Preventing Violence & Promoting Safety, Crossroads/US Prostitutes (Skills for Practice)
3. Mindfulness Practices and Juvenile Justice, Bidyut Bose, PhD (Skills for Practice)(Registration closed for this workshop)
4. Deconstructing White Privilege, Shuli Lotan, LCSW, Nancy C. Arvold, MFT. (Self-reflection) (Registration closed for this workshop)
5. Mental Health: We All Have It, Reducing the Stigma of Mental Illness and Co-Occurring Disorders, Debi Berzon-Leitelt (Consciousness-raising)
6. Juvenile and Criminal Justice: Understanding Present and Future Trends, Kevin Lynch (Consciousness-raising)
7. JUST ADDED: This interactive workshop will be led by Margo Perin of Write & Rise to demonstrate and provide the opportunity for practicing techniques of storytelling that foster an "inside-out" understanding of the issues, perspectives, and desires of both social worker and client as they work toward personal restoration and social justice. Perin and participants of Write & Rise programs for people at risk of and affected by incarceration will share their personal experiences of writing as a tool for healing and social change, and its importance in social work practice for attendees to take back to the workplace.People at risk of and affected by incarceration will provide their points of view about the experiences and needs of their communities and will demonstrate hands-on techniques and the value of telling and sharing personal stories in group and individual work as a tool for healing individuals, families, and communities across society.

Bio: "Margo Perin is a long-time educator, social activist, and presenter at conferences and workshops, and has presented numerous times with participants of her programs for people at risk of and affected by incarceration, including at SF Public Library (Main), Teachers for Social Justice Conference, California State University Criminal Justice Administration, and at community-based venues in the San Francisco Bay Area.Ms. Perin is the editor of ONLY THE DEAD CAN KILL: Stories from Jail; copies will be available at the symposium

1. Faith-Based Organizations, Spirituality and Social Work-Opportunities and Challenges in Building Service Relationships, Jennifer Morazes (Self-reflection)
2. The Right to Know: Connecting Our Most Vulnerable Populations with Family, Kevin Campbell, Family Finding (Skills for Practice)(Registration Closed for this workshop)
3. Engaging Youth in Social Justice Policy, Rachel Antrobus, Iqra Anjum, Cassandra James (Skills for Practice)
4. Transportation and Land Use: A Critical Aspect of Social Justice, Carli Paine, Joel Ramos, Ann Cheng, Sandra Padilla (Consciousness-raising)
5. Social Policy Change Through a New Model of Prison Addiction Treatment, Training and Re-entry Programs at San Quentin State Prison, Full Circle (Consciousness-raising)
6. History of the Juvenile Justice System 1500-present, Malachi Larrabee-Garza, Haywood Burns Institute of Juvenile Justice (Consciousness-raising)
7. Narrative Therapy, Group Work and Social Justice, Natanya Pearlman, MSW, Deb Schneider, MSW, Danielle Storer, MSW (Skills for Practice) (Registration Closed for this workshop)

Session 3 (3:00-4:30)

1. Empowering Youth in the Juvenile Justice System, Meghan Corman, Dylan de Kervor, Lindsay LaSalle, Marina Sideris,YELS (Consciousness-raising) (Cancelled)
2. Introduction to Restorative Justice, Jon Kidde, Jack Dison, Heather Manchester (Consciousness-Raising)
3. Activism Under Occupation: Solidarity, Resistance and Non-Violence in Palestine, Nicholas Chambers/ISM (Consciousness-raising)
4. Empowering Youth to Fight for Social Justice: Removing Barriers for Youth Leadership & Development, HOME Project (Skills for Practice)(Registration Closed for this workshop)
5. Radical Geriatric Practice: Adventures in Elder Financial Abuse Work, Council on Aging (Skills for Practice)
6. Decades of Failure: The Government's Role in Creating and Maintaining Homelessness and Poverty, Paul Boden, WRAP (Consciousness-raising) (Registration Closed for this workshop)
7. Marriage Equality Now!, Molly McKay, Sharon Papo, Marriage Equality USA and Social Welfare Queer Caucus (Consciousness-raising)

Keynote Speaker

boona cheema, Executive Director of B.O.S.S. (Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency)

boona cheema was born and raised in India. She worked with wounded children in Vietnam and then immigrated to the United States in 1971.

A trained Unitarian Universalist Minister, she holds a B.S. in economics and Masters in journalism and divinity. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of Humanitarian Letters for her work as an urban minister. She has an extensive portfolio of political, social, and economic justice work and is currently the Executive Director of BOSS.

In the U.S., boona helps develop policy and direct action strategies by working in partnership with a broad range of local, statewide, and national organizations and coalitions, including those dedicated to housing, health, youth, families, mental health, poverty, and urban development.

She has served on the Boards of Directors for dozens of local and state nonprofits, including Center for Independent Living, Housing California, Non Profit Housing Association of Northern California, and many others. She helped found creative nonprofit responses to serving people with special needs, providing start-up and technical support to the Oakland Independence Support Center, Berkeley Drop-In Center, and Berkeley Creative Living Center. Internationally, boona has served on the Boards of Directors of Oxfam America, Seva Foundation, and Food First.

BOSS is a large Alameda County nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to serving poor people with disabilities and special needs since 1971. The organization is a recognized leader at serving the most vulnerable segments of poor and homeless populations, and under boona's leadership has innovated many programs and strategies that are now national models. As Executive Director, boona has forged partnerships with faith groups, schools, business leaders, and service providers, and has worked with equal commitment alongside policy makers and poor and disabled community members .