UW Hosts Shepard Symposium on Social Justice

Next week (March 28^th-31^st) the University of Wyoming will host its 16^th annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice.  This year’s theme is Identities: Dismantling the Boxes. The conference aims to deconstruct and interrupt how identities are created and scripted unto various groups in societies, particularly marginalized ones.  Participants can register online.  The conference is free and open to the public.

Since its inception in 1997, the Shepard Symposium has brought together those working to eliminate social inequality.  The conference was started by two faculty in the College of Education and was originally aimed at drawing local students into discussions about social justice. In 2002, the conference changed their name to the current name in honor of Mathew Shepard and his family. The conference also expanded its focus to include discussions on race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and class. As the years progressed, the conference began to draw regional and national participants, including this year’s keynote speaker, Tim Wise.

Tim Wise is an antiracist essayists, author, and educator.  He has been called "One of the most brilliant, articulate and courageous critics of white privilege in the nation," by best-selling author and professor Michael Eric Dyson of Georgetown University. He has lectured internationally and spoke at over 600 college campuses. Wise’s lectures normally revolve around topics such as racism in the education system, the market, and education. He has written six books. His most well-known book is his memoir titled, Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White. Some of his other books include Between Barak and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama and Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority. He has also written several essays for anthologies.

Another speaker attending the conference is Bridget Kesling, who will be speaking on how the media creates young girls’ body image.  She uses fascinating props, such as a life-size, true-to-scale Barbie doll.  (Barbie looks much better in miniature.) She touches on issues such as body image, as well as gives helpful hints to combat the images presented in the media.

Can’t make it to the Shepard Symposium?  Don’t worry; many presentations are streamed online.  For more information on the Symposium, please contact Dr. Angela Jaime in Educational Studies.