MPA Program at CCNY
Last week, MPA Executive Director Bobby Derival moderated a crucial conversation about the racial violence and systemic injustices that sparked the recent torrent of public protest. The event was titled Uprising in Context: The Struggle for Racial Justice in the United States.
Amidst pandemic and protest, with crises striking our public health and civic institutions, more than 300 CCNY students, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the Harlem community gathered for the timely and highly relevant discussion.
Panelists offered in-depth and wide-ranging analysis of protest movements, the history of policing, and strategies to achieve social justice. The panelists included Asale Angel-Ajani, Director of CCNY's Women's and Gender Studies Program; Vanessa K. Valdés, Director of Black Studies Program; and Michael J. Garner, President of the Founding Chapter of One Hundred Black Men.
Lloyd Williams, President of the Harlem Chamber of Commerce, gave opening remarks; CCNY President Vince Boudreau concluded the discussion.
Derival encouraged event participants to see the current interconnected crises not as obstacles but as opportunities to forge new connections and solutions to the problems gripping our society.