What is multiculturalism? What is the place of this idea in US education? And what did German Chancellor Angela Merkel mean when she said that multiculturalism is dead?
The symposium considered such questions in a three-day series of panel discussions and lectures. Together we explored the meanings of multiculturalism in the US and abroad, looking closely at the controversies and complexities surrounding this word, as well as the policies that have emerged to promote and support the idea.
Art Exhibit, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center
Featuring work from Lewis & Clark student artists and artists in the greater Portland community, the exhibit challenged viewers to think about what multiculturalism really means in today’s world.
Curated by L&C students Megan Sadler and Kyle Yoshioka
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
MUL-TI-CUL-TUR-AL-ISM: DEFINED
In reflecting upon the theme of this year’s symposium, “the Miseducation of Multiculturalism,” we realized that to understand how we have been “miseducated,” we must first achieve a fundamental understanding of what multiculturalism really means. Thus, we arrived at the theme of this year’s art show, “mul-ti-cul-tur-al-ism: defined.” We expect that the evocative power of art will express what words alone cannot, and lend an understanding of culture and identity that transcends semantics and hermeneutics.
Too often, multiculturalism is connoted exclusively with race and ethnicity. We believe that the concept can encompass far more, including issues of class, religion, sexual orientation, and many, many others.
Event Schedule
Wednesday, November 9
Panel Discussion
3:30-5:00 pm, Council Chamber, Templeton Campus Center Beyond the Word: Exploring the Meaning of Multiculturalism Today
From the individual to the institution, the meaning of multiculturalism varies widely. As the symposium’s opening event, this panel brings together a variety of student and professional viewpoints to begin to understand how the term is defined today. Panelists address who defines themselves as part of the “multicultural” community today, and what are the merits of the ever growing scope of multiculturalism in education and society.
Moderator: Monica Miller, L&C Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow of Religious Studies
Jilma Meneses, Chief Diversity Officer, Portland State University Mary Clare, L&C GSEC Professor in Counseling Psychology & Author of 100 Voices - Americans Talk About Change
Rachael Denis, L&C ’13 & Third Culture Kid (TCK)
Keisha Edwards, Trainer/Curriculum Designer for the Oregon Parent Information & Resource Center (OR-PIRC)
Keynote Lecture
“Multiculturalism in Europe:
The Fictions We Fear and the Facts We Celebrate”
7 pm, Council Chamber, Templeton Campus Center
Gary Younge, author and columnist for The Guardian (UK)
Introduced by Symposium Co-Chairs: Temesghen Habte, L&C’12, and Madelyn Troiano, L&C’12
Thursday, November 10
Ethnic Studies Colloquium 9:40-11:10 am, JRHoward Classroom 121
Ethnic Studies Colloquium: “Race, Place, and Power” Reiko Hillyer, L&C Visiting Assistant Professor of History and 2009 CAS Teacher of the Year. No outside reading is required for this event. Become a part of the community discussion.
This interdisciplinary class examines the cultural geography of segregation and inequality, and how ethnic and racial minorities have resisted and reclaimed segregated spaces. Join the ethnic studies students as they open up their class to the community with a discussion of the prison-industrial complex. Themes that will be explored include the origins and rise of the current prison boom, the relationship between prisons and the political economy, the spatial dimensions of the “carceral landscape,” racism in the criminal justice system, and how the nature of the prison system relates to (or complicates) our understanding of “multiculturalism.”
Panel Discussion
11:30-1:00 pm, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center Talking About Race: The Language We Use in Our Classrooms and Communities
What is the rhetoric used surrounding race? How do the choices we make in language influence and inform our social interactions? What should we expect for the future of dialogue about race? This panel discusses how social dynamics impact the way individuals choose (not) to engage over issues of race, culture and ethnicity. Strategies for improving our discourse will also be discussed.
Moderator: Tracy Nguyen-Chung, L&C’07, Office of Multicultural Affairs Program Coordinator
Dyan Watson, L&C Graduate School, Assistant Professor of Education (Social Studies) Afifa Ahmed-Shafi, City of Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement Marisol Jenkins, L&C ’15 Blaze Starkey, L&C ’12
Aukeem Ballard, L&C ’11, Woodrow Wilson Fellow
Panel Discussion 1:45-3:15 pm, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center
Multiculturalism in Portland: Historical and Current Community Perspectives
According to the 2010 Census, only four of the nation’s 40 largest metropolitan areas have a lower percentage of non-white residents than Portland. This panel seeks to examine the experiences of multicultural communities in Portland, OR, whether or not the city truly embraces diversity, and how it does so. Community leaders discuss the historical context of multicultural Portland and the current needs and expectations in these communities.
Moderator: Sarah Warren, L&C Assistant Professor of Sociology
Amanda Fritz, Commissioner for City of Portland
Judith Mowry, Portland’s Restorative Listening Project Kayse Jama, Executive Director, Center for Intercultural Organizing Isaac Dixon, L&C Associate Vice President and Director of Human Resources and
Commissioner at Oregon Commission on Black Affairs
Panel Discussion 3:30-5:00 pm, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center Multicultural Issues in Health and Science
Over the last decade, an advocacy and education movement has emerged to eliminate health disparities and to improve access to care among underserved and underrepresented populations. While comprehensive attempts to address these access and quality concerns are underway, many issues persist and have even worsened in the current economic climate. Practitioners, policymakers, and mental health professionals on this panel discuss cultural competency in health and science, and the communities most impacted by racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities.
Moderator: Se-ah-dom Edmo, L&C Graduate School Diversity Outreach/Indigenous Ways of Knowing (IWOK) Director
Callie Mae Riley, L&C’10, Public Policy Director for Center for Intercultural Organizing Rachel Gilmer, Policy Analyst, State of Oregon Multicultural Health Initiatives
Tamara Ko L&C GSEC ’10, Graduate of Psychological and Cultural Studies Program
Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, Administrative Officer, NW Portland Area Indian Health Board
Keynote Event
“Multiculturalism in U.S. Education:
Critical Perspectives From the Inside”
7 pm, Council Chamber, Templeton Campus Center
Gary Okihiro, Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
“Multiculturalism and Ethnic Studies: Divergent Origins and Future Prospects”
and
Geneva Gay, Professor of Education, University of Washington
“Principle Achievements and Persistent Challenges to Culturally Responsive Teaching”
Keynote moderated by Scott Fletcher, L&C Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, Interim Chief Diversity Officer
Welcome by symposium co-chair: Julie Peterson, L&C’12
Friday, November 11
11:30 am-1:00 pm, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center Student Research Brown Bag Discussion
Student projects on culture, identity and the modern experience. Join us for an interdisciplinary discussion with the students who are developing research projects drawn from topics of interest related to the modern multicultural experience. Bring your lunch. Drinks and cookies will be provided. Welcome by Latricia Brand, Interim Dean of Students, Director of Multicultural Affairs
Emily Katzman, L&C ’12, “Black Power: A Transnational History of Aboriginal Australian Activism, 1968-1974”
Alison Dubchansky, L&C ’12, “Bilingual Children as Language Brokers: Role Reversals, Language Choice, and Identity Development”
Lu’ukia Nakanelua, L&C ’13, “Reclaiming Space in Post-modern Los Angeles: Freeways and their Chicano Murals”
Panel Discussion 1:45-3:15 pm, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center Too Much of a Good Thing? Building the Case Against Multiculturalism
In a diverse and global society, why are conflicts surrounding race, ethnicity, religion and culture persisting and broadening? As an ideology and a movement, multiculturalism purportedly benefits underrepresented groups of individuals and promotes equality, but this panel seeks to understand the ways in which multiculturalism has contributed to unintended negative effects on societal discourse and behavior—including a) who gets to define multiculturalism? and b) how might current notions of multiculturalism impact historically oppressed underrepresented groups?
Moderator: Maureen Reed, L&C Adjunct Faculty, Core Curriculum
Christopher Wendt, L&C Assistant Professor of Political Science
Adrian Guerrero, L&C ’12
Kenny Ray Thomas, Activist and Former Black Panther
Panel Discussion
3:30-5:00 pm, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center Is Multiculturalism Valued in the Liberal Arts?
Liberal Arts colleges strive to empower students with intellectual understanding of the complex geopolitical, socio-economic, and ethical landscape of today’s society. This panel explores the role and responsibility of a liberal arts education in preparing students for our complex, diverse, and globally interdependent world. College faculty and alumni discuss their own experiences and perspectives on the liberal arts education model, and ideas for enhancing dialogue about cultural perspectives in a liberal arts curriculum.
Moderator: Charlie Ahlquist, L&C Campus Living Area Director
Kim Cameron-Dominguez, L&C Adjunct Faculty, CORE, Cultural Anthropologist
Joel Martinez, L&C Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Hanako Conrad, L&C’10, L&C Former Office of Multicultural Affairs Intern Bruce Smith, Associate Dean of Students, Student and Campus Life, Reed College
Keynote Event
Race Monologues
7 pm, Stamm Dining Room, Templeton Campus Center
In poetry and prose, Lewis & Clark students express their understandings of race, ethnicity, and identity. Each year a new group of students writes an original series of monologues to share powerful feelings and experiences.
