Panelists knowledgeable about conflict res olution\, law\, and community mentoring will offer their perspectives on h ow we can better talk about racial issues by sharing our stories and speak ing up for anyone we encounter who is suffering from injustice. This progr am is part of the series: Community Conversations on Race. The TED talk wi ll be shown as part of this program and participants will be able to parti cipate through chat.
\nPanelists:
Nikki Phillips\, Adju
nct Communication Professor
Nikki has taught communication a
nd culture classes at the college level for more than 16 years. In 2016 sh
e started her own business called Professional Communication Training wher
e she works with a variety of organizations to help them work together to
work better.
José\; R. Ballesteros Ph.D.\, Direct
or of Equity Programing\, St. Mary&rsquo\;s College of MD
Jo
sé\; has been a faculty member at the National Honors Public College
within the College&rsquo\;s Department of International Languages and Cul
tures since 2002. \; At St. Mary&rsquo\;s\, José\; co-created an
d until recently was associate director of the DeSousa-Brent Program. The
program&rsquo\;s retention and graduation rates for students from underrep
resented populations earned it a permanent funding grant from the State of
Maryland in 2019. \; He is a contributing poetry editor for the Libra
ry of Congress&rsquo\;s Handbook of Latin American Studies and the co-auth
or of the Spanish literature textbook Voces de Españ\;a. He is a pub
lished translator and the owner and editor of the literary press Zozobra P
ublishing\, the premier publisher of regional Latinx poets. His own poetry
has been anthologized and appears in various journals in the US. He is th
e author of the book of poems Lovedust (Izote Press).
Mars
ha Johnson\, Attorney at Law
Marsha L. Williams\, Esq. is a
partner with the law firm Williams\, McClernan\, &\; Stack\, LLC. She a
ttended Rutgers University - New Brunswick where\, in 1997\, she earned he
r Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. In 2000\, she earned her J
uris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. Marsha began her
legal career with the House of Ruth of Maryland representing victims of do
mestic violence. In 2002\, Marsha joined Maryland Legal Aid - Southern Mar
yland where she represented clients in child welfare proceedings in Maryla
nd&rsquo\;s trial and appellate courts.
In 2019\, Marsha was recogniz
ed by The Daily Record as one of Maryland&rsquo\;s Top 100 Women for outst
anding achievement in her legal career and for community leadership. In 20
20\, The Daily Record named Marsha as a Leadership in Law Honoree for her
dedication to the legal field and to her community.
Mod
erator: Christine Bergmark\, owner Evenstar Farms and community mediatorChristine has facilitated such events as the Big Conversation
s in Calvert and St. Mary&rsquo\;s Counties\, the Shut Up and Listen discu
ssions\, and also holds the license for TEDxGreatMills.
TED
Talks are influential videos from expert speakers on education\, business\
, science\, tech and creativity. The talks are posted online \;for fre
e distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading"​​ by
\;TED Conferences LLC\, \;an American media organization. \;<
/p>\n
Join us this fall for Community Conversations on Race\, a series o f virtual events to engage in conversation and learn from fellow community members. Community partners for this series include NAACP Unit 7025\, Com munity Mediation of St. Mary&rsquo\;s\, Unified Committee for Afro-America n Contributions (UCAC)\, Historic Sotterley\, and St. Mary&rsquo\;s County Recreation and Parks &ndash\; Museum Division.
\nhttps://stmalib.libne t.info/event/4583303 URL;VALUE=URI:https://stmalib.libnet.info/event/4583303 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR