NEW LOCATION: Due to the likelihood of a whole lotta rain tomorrow, the “Reclaim the Commons” Free University will move indoors to 16 Beaver St., 4th floor, in Manhattan. Come join us! Sessions 1-6pm, Potluck dinner 6pm.
Closest subways: Take the Q (which is running via the R) to Whitehall. Or the 4, 5 to Bowling Green.
RSVP here: http://bit.ly/1azuWho
“Reclaim the Commons” Free University schedule
Free University-NYC Brief Welcome and Statement of Intention
1pm
“Holding the NYPD Accountable: Community Organizing and People Power”
Meejin – CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities
1pm
This workshop requires an enthusiastic audience! It will cover basic Know Your Rights with the NYPD information in addition to participant discussion about current work being done by CAAAV and other community groups to put an end to discriminatory policing in NYC and to ensure our communities are simultaneously building a culture and movement of looking out for each other when it comes to the NYPD.
“Teach/Learn at The Public School”
Nova Benway – The Public School
1pm
The Public School will briefly present our volunteer-led program of free classes in Greenpoint and elsewhere, and answer questions about how those interested can propose their own classes/workshops/reading groups. We are also interested to hear how we might contribute to thinking about education and the commons, in NYC and beyond.
“Prison Education: Liberation and Cooptation”
Natalie Marr – Coloring Outside the Lines
1pm
Take your body and move the way that expresses your true self and how you see it. Coloring Outside the Lines creates an opportunity for us to discuss we are and how we contribute to our communities while creating a new community of passionate individuals. This workshop will be a short demonstration of self care to condition your body but share who you are without words.
“New York City at the Crossroads”
Eric Darton
2pm
NYC at the Crossroads will focus on strategies toward building a more self-sustaining, equitable and diversified economic base to support the vibrant cultural mix that flourishes here. We’ll begin by focusing on historical aspects of the city’s transformation since the post-war era. After this, I’ll facilitate a group discussion aimed at establishing guiding principles and identifying concrete practices toward reshaping the city’s social, political and physical structures around the real needs of its people.
“Conversations about War in a Cry for Peace”
Sharmin Hossain – Ya-Ya Network
2pm
A conversation on the “War on Terror” and Violence and the the different forms of violence existing in our reality. As oppressed people, we live in a constant state of crisis. This is an open circle of healing and reflective of a lot of chaos and news.
“What it means to be a [insert your race here] [insert your gender here] in America – An open discussion”
Tesaen Chavis
2pm
This open discussion will provide an open forum for those people wishing to discuss their experiences growing up a [race, gender] in America. What does it mean to be a black female in this country? What does it mean to be a hispanic male? How can we tackle perceived stereotypes of the various groups within America and what can we do to open up an ongoing dialogue between these groups? People will have the ability to connect, share stories, laugh, cry, and walk away with a little bit of someone’s history of growing up a [race, gender] within this nation.
“Deny them the Data: Opting out of Corporate-Owned Education Reform”
Morna McDermott and Sarah Wottowa – United Opt Out
2pm
United Opt Out is a national organization that provides resources for ending corporate ownership of public education, and calls for community/parent/teacher led actions that will help place the public back in public education. July 4th 2013 we launched our “Declare Your Independence” campaign, which includes state-by-state Opt Out guides that provide necessary information for parents seeking to opt their children out of high stakes testing. Our motto is “deny them the data”–this workshop will provide an overview of how corporations are dismantling public education and what community members can do to fight back and reclaim our schools.
“Saving Black and Brown Life (Trayvon and Beyond)–Organizing Strategic Resistance against Police, Vigilante, Horizontal and Vertical Violence against our Youth”
Sumumba Sobukwe – Occu-Evolve
3pm
A teach-in in the aftermath of the George Zimmerman verdict and upcoming struggles against police brutality and the murder of black and brown youth. Also a brief discussion of horizontal and vertical violence in black and brown communities.
“Overtested and Indebted: Critiquing and Imagining Education (Together)”
Jason and Winter
3pm
This last year we’ve seen student walk outs against austerity cuts, boycotts against the testing regime, labor strikes against racist and neoliberal education policies, university occupations and attempts at debt strikes. From Seattle to Chicago to Philly to New York, an education revolution is underway in the U.S. We gather together to ask some big questions about what all of this means. How does our education system operate? How does it function in the Commons? What kinds of people does it create? What are the connections between labor, testing, financialization and debt? What other kinds of education systems can we imagine?
“Food Justice & Food Sovereignty”
Simone Herbin – Brooklyn Food Coalition
3pm
During this discussion, participants will discuss how race and class affect access to healthy, affordable food in various communities as well as explore solutions to empower individuals to form strong, food secure and sovereign communities looking to models across the country and around the world.
“TPP: The 1%’s Stealth Attack on the Common”
Adam Weissman – TradeJustice New York Metro
4pm
Behind closed doors, US trade negotiators and representatives of the governments of 11 other countries are negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an international agreement that will erode the commons in the interest of corporate profits. We need to work together to develop a novel type of alliance among organizations specialized in trade-related issues, environmental and development organisations, Occupiers and digital commoners, social organizations and trade unions, indigenous people and geeks etc, to demand recognition for the thousands of alternatives that can be said to belong to the Commons Sector. Join representatives of OWS TradeJustice to discuss how we can defend the commons and stop TPP!
“Occupy Education and Empowerment”
Sati – Occu-Evolve (OWS)
4pm
Helping the youth in their educational endeavour is one of the most important social services we can think of. As such, with a hope to reinvigorate our Occupy movement, we are going to reactivate “Occupy Education and Empowerment.”
“Parks: The Gateway Space”
Rashid Owoyele – Make Your Mark’s Community Director
4pm
This will be a discussion on the power of young people, design, and technology in the pursuit of reclaiming our cities. We’re starting with parks! Make Your Mark is an urban parks stewardship program for youth that connects STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) to design and environmental and social justice. Partnership for Parks, an innovative joint program of the City Parks Foundation and New York City Parks and Recreation, is funding a pilot program this summer that will engage youth from the Grand Street Settlement, a nonprofit that provides community services on Lower East Side of Manhattan, as stewards of the East River Park, a 57-acre park along the East River that has undergone extensive renovations over the past two decades and was badly impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
“Diversity of Tactics in the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1965: A Case Study”
Lorenzo Raymond – AFFECT/New York Year Zero
4pm
Popular history characterizes the civil rights struggle as a period when social movements were supposedly pacifistic and innately liberal, but the black freedom movement did not win its greatest victories until it resorted to radical and diverse tactics. CUNY historian Jeanne Theoharis’ recent biography of Rosa Parks casts a critical eye on the aftermath of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, describes the early onset of white backlash, and reminds us that Mrs. Parks expressed ardent gratitude to Malcolm X, Robert F. Williams, and other militants for giving the movement teeth as it reached maturity in the 1960s. From the paralyzing white backlash in Montgomery after the bus boycott, to the realization of the limits of nonviolence after the Albany campaign of 1962, to the riotous awakening in Birmingham in 1963, to the turbulent summer that led up to the March on Washington, to the credible foreshadow of a “dark night of social disruption” that Dr. King warned of if the Civil Rights Act was not passed, to Malcolm X’s role in the Selma campaign, this talk will examine how the freedom movement used a diversity of tactics to overcome the twin dilemmas of repression and marginalization that it faced on its way to making history.
“Stop, Drop, and Roll: From Fossil Fuel Divestment to Reinvestment”
Rose Espinola – Responsible Endowments Coalition (REC)
5pm
The fossil fuel industry is endangering global communities and the climate; it is time for our universities to cut ties with these destructive corporations. But divestment alone is not enough. What kind of world do we envision for the future? In this workshop we are going to build tools and knowledge for incorporating a demand for reinvestment into a fossil fuel divestment campaign. Reinvestment means investing in our communities and in businesses committed to creating just and equitable solutions in areas like energy, manufacturing, and technology. Join us to learn how to get your campus involved!
“How Does Housing Influence Gender Roles?”
Mitsue
5pm
This will be an open discussion about the changing roles of men and women in the home and residential communities, and in what ways housing has influenced our gender roles. Who builds our homes and for what purposes? Does housing meet the needs of women and/or men? What makes a home transgendered or ungendered? If we understand how gender and housing relate to one another, what changes can be made with housing to influence our perceived gender roles?
“Zine Workshop”
Dr. Courtney Lee Weida – Adelphi University Zine & Altered Book Library
5pm
Create zines for the new Zine & Altered Book Library at Adelphi University. Share resources, stories, essays, images, and your personal voice/vision with students and educators.
Potluck Dinner
6pm
Some food will be provided by Free University, but also please bring some to share!
Vegetarian and vegan options available.
FreeUniversityNYC@gmail.com
FreeUniversityNYC.org
www.facebook.com/FreeUniversityNYC
www.facebook.com/events/559109630797396/
