La Pregunta, 1528 Amsterdam Ave., between 135th and 136th St.
9:00 pm–12:00 am
$5 recommended donation

Welfare Poets
Spirit Child
Kahlil Almustafa
Bojah and the Insurrection
Kamal Imani
Mr. King

The main entrance to campus is located at the corner of 138th St. and Amsterdam Ave. The nearest subway is the #1 at 137th St. You can also take the A/B/C/D to 145th St. or 135th St., but if you get off at 135th St. you'll have to walk up some very high steps through St. Nicholas Park. For more detailed directions, click here.

Childcare will be available for the duration of the Social Forum at the nearby church of Our Lady of Lourdes at 463 West 142nd St. Anyone requiring childcare services should register for childcare prior to the Social Forum.

Register for Childcare

Indypendent article about the CUNY Social Forum

Brooklyn College Excelsior article about the CUNY Social Forum

Directory of Participating Groups

Press Release

Posters and Documents

PLENARIES

Friday, October 17, 6:30–9:00 pm:

NEW LOCATION: Our Lady of Lourdes Gymnasium, 468 W. 143 Street

"The Movement for Educational Democracy and Self-Determination at CUNY in the Context of the Global Struggle for Human Rights and Reparations"

Speakers:

Vanessa James, Parents in Action for Leadership and Human Rights

Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Department of Political Science, CCNY; former Chair of City College Black Studies Department

Luz Schreiber is a creative writer major at Hunter College, co-founder and vice-president of the Hunter Parent Union, a former member of SLAM (Student Liberation Action Movement), where she worked in the campaign to defend Open Admissions, a member of Atl-Tlachinolli, an Aztec dance circle based in Queens, and a founding member of Ollin Imagination

Mark Torres, former CCNY student activist, founder of Students for Educational Rights (S.E.R.), Board member of the Morales/Shakur Community Center and member of the Hostos Educators' Association

Hank Williams, Ph.D. Candidate in English and Africana Studies at the City University of New York, instructor at City College and NYU, former board member of the Brecht Forum, involved in political organizing for nearly a decade around Open Admissions in the CUNY system, police brutality and the criminalization of youth of color with the Student Liberation Action Movement and with the Africana Studies Group at the CUNY Graduate Center

Moderator:

Maria Arettines is a CUNY Social Forum organizer and a Hunter College student majoring in Political Science and Women and Gender Studies. She has worked with Long Island Freespace, Bluestockings Bookstore, For a Better Bronx, Mexico Solidarity Network, the Institute for Popular Education, Esperanza del Barrio, and We Got Issues! She is also a writer, artist, and dancer.

Saturday, October 18, 6:00–8:15 pm in Aronow Theatre, NAC Building, CCNY:

"CUNY and the Global Social Justice Movement"

Speakers:

Nellie Hester Bailey, co-founder and director, Harlem Tenants Council

Esperanza Martell, co-founder of Casa Atabex Ache, board member and teacher at the Brecht Forum, coordinator of the ProLibertad Campaign to Free Puerto Rican Political Prisoners/POW's and end US colonialism in Puerto Rico, B.A. from City University of New York and M.S.W. from Hunter College School of Social Work

Ashanti Alston Omowali, former member of the Black Panther Party, the Black Liberation Army, and northeast coordinator for Critical Resistance; current co-chair of the National Jericho Movement, member of Estación Libre, and board member of the Institute for Anarchist Studies

Roger Wareham, Human Rights Attorney, Political Activist and advocate for reparations for descendents of victims of the African slave trade, Member of the International Secretariat of the December 12th Movement

Moderator:

Mike Menser, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department, Brooklyn College; CUNY Social Forum organizer

Sunday, October 19, 4:00–7:00 pm in Our Lady of Lourdes Gymnasium, 468 W. 143 Street:

"Where Do We Go From Here?"

Vision: The intention of the assembly is to gather the CSF attendees who are interested in participating in a discussion and strategy session to determine the organizing structure and next steps both of the CUNY student movement (in relationship to issues affecting both CUNY) and movements and coalitions among CUNY and non-CUNY groups within the broader NYC community (with respect to issues like housing, the financial crisis, prisons, the war, etc).

To do this, the assembly will break into small groups that will deal with particular issues (ie tuition hikes, structure of the CUNY Student Union, CUNY relationship to the community etc.). Each small group will enter into a facilitated discussion on the question being addressed and will formulate concrete proposals. The proposals should state the problem being addressed, who it impacts, the proposed solution, the timeframe for the solution and the tasks that need to be taken on to bring the solution to fruition. After a given period of time (1-1.5 hours) the assembly will gather again and the proposals of each small group will be relayed to the assembly at large. Then the proposals will be condensed, modified and agreed upon. Depending on the representation in the crowd the assembly can break into caucuses (by school, neighborhood, theme, etc.) to discuss further steps and how to implement the proposals.

Registration is open to all all individuals and groups.

We strongly encourage groups not submitting a proposal to arrange for tabling during break-out sessions.

REGISTER

Tables require separate registration and a mandatory fee based on the type of organization. Registration for for-profit vendors is $100. Registration for community organizations with annual budgets over $100k is $50. Registration for all other organizations is $25. To register for a table, please email Maria Arettines at maria.arettines@gmail.com.

The deadline for workshop proposals was October 1. Due to the rapidly approaching date of the Social Forum, at this time we are no longer accepting new proposals.

We, students, faculty, staff and alumni, of all CUNY campuses, have come together to create a more accountable, accessible, and democratic CUNY. We want a CUNY that is accountable to the students and surrounding NYC community, accessible to all New Yorkers seeking higher education, and a CUNY that is truly democratic, where students, faculty, and the community have meaningful decision-making power.

In the face of a rapidly changing New York, we want to ensure that the City and State stop the pattern of disinvestment in CUNY and in public education.

We are dedicated to making the CUNY Social Forum a space in which we can build ties between existing student groups and student activists at CUNY and strengthen these efforts.

ISSUES & GOALS OF THE CUNY SOCIAL FORUM

Solicitud de Propuestas

The cost of the CUNY Social Forum is expected to exceed $20,000! We are requesting financial assistance and sponsorship from individuals, community organizations, and academic departments and programs in providing this opportunity to CUNY students, faculty, and the greater New York City community. Your sponsorship of any amount would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made through PayPal or by check. For PayPal, click on the following link.

Checks should be made payable to the CUNY Student Union and mailed to:

CUNY Social Forum
P.O. Box 650
Lincolnton Station
New York, NY 10037

Donations are not tax deductible, sorry! If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact the chair of the Finance Committee, Maria Arettines, at maria.arettines@gmail.com.

Black Studies Program, City College

Anthropology Department, City College

Hispanic and Latina(o) Studies Department, John Jay College

Women and Gender Studies Department, Hunter College

Graduate Center for Worker Education, Brooklyn College

Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, Brooklyn
College

Women's Studies Department, Brooklyn College

Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Medgar Evers College

Guillermo Morales/Assata Shakur Community and Student Center, City College

Bluestockings

Eradicating Racism, a program of wegotissues.org

If you are also interested in sponsoring the Forum, please email cunysocialforum@gmail.com.