March 2018: RespondBC! is now an annual series of artworks recognizing diverse voices of our community.
We Stand Against Hate
People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
"We Stand Against Hate" has been a campus fixture since spring 2017. Throughout the year, the initiative features lectures, workshops, concerts, programs, and events that reflect our ongoing commitment to elevating dialogue, enhancing understanding and compassion, and celebrating the voices that make up our diverse campus community.
I understand their meaning,
It could and did derive
From living on the edge of death
They kept my race alive
By wearing the mask!
— Maya Angelou
Presidential Statements
- More Updates on Our Anti-Racist Agenda (July 14)
- Updates on Our Anti-Racist Agenda (July 8)
- Enacting an Anti-Racist Agenda at Brooklyn College (July 2)
- In Honor of Pride and Juneteenth (June 17)
- A Pivotal Time in History (June 10)
- Black Lives Matter Here (June 2)
- Statement Regarding Volleyball Game on February 23, 2020 (February 28)
Upcoming Events
Specific Zoom information to come.
SHIN-DC III Annual Congressional Holocaust Commemoration
January 28, 2021, 1:30 p.m.
This International Holocaust Remembrance Day program highlights underrepresented Jewish Holocaust communities.
Black and Jewish Multicultural Identities, and Anti-Semitism
February 4, 2021, 12:30 p.m.
Professor Katya Gibel Mevorach leads this event that explores the possibilities and meanings that arise when black and Jewish identities merge. Cosponsored by We Stand Against Hate, the departments of Africana Studies and Judaic Studies, and Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership. Register for this Zoom event.
Integrity First for America
TBD
Integrity First for America organization's event held as a follow-up to last semester's "Taking White Supremacy to Court: The Charlottesville Case."
Past Events
Prior Academic Years
A Boy from Bustina: A Son. A Survivor. A Witness.
November 25, 2019
Lawrence Burian spoke about the monumental autobiography written by his father, Andrew Burian, A Boy from Bustina: A Son. A Survivor. A Witness. (Yad Vashem Publications, 2016) a first-person narrative of his remarkable survival of the Birkenau and Mauthausen concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Lawrence Burian has been a member of the board of directors of the American Society for Yad Vashem for more than 20 years. Inspired by his father's life story, he too, has been committed to Holocaust education and remembrance. "I feel a great sense of responsibility towards helping ensure that future generations are aware of what occurred but also learn important lessons for the future," he says.
This event was accompanied by the exhibit, BESA: A Code of Honor. Muslim Albanians Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust. The exhibit, which was on display in the Brooklyn College Library through December 1, was developed by Yad Vashem and on loan from the American Society for Yad Vashem.
Annual Symposium on Haitian Creole Language and Culture
October 25 and 26, 2019
Co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute at Brooklyn College.
Panel Discussion: 400 Years Later—The Legacies of 1619
October 24, 2019
The Department of History, in collaboration with the Wolfe Institute for the Humanities, the Conservatory of Music, and the H. Wiley Hitchcock Institute for Studies in American Music, presents "400 Years Later—The Legacies of 1619." The panel discussion will feature John W. Franklin, cultural historian at the National Museum of African American History, and Steven Hahn, the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize-winning author of A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South From Slavery to the Great Migration, moderated by Brooklyn-based historian and curator Prithi Kanakamedala. Funding is made possible by a generous grant from Kimberley Phillips Boehm.
John Hope Franklin Freedom Concert
October 24, 2019
Curated by Assistant Professor Laquita Mitchell with Assistant Professor Malcolm J. Merriweather of the Conservatory of Music, the concert will expand on the model by Coretta Scott King, presenting a tapestry of choral music, poetry, and prose that illustrates the struggle of people around the world and promotes religious, social, and political harmony.
Lecture: The Significance of the Border Wall in American History
October 17, 2019
The Wolfe Institute for the Humanities presents a lecture by New York University Professor of History Greg Grandin.
Lecture: Lives Still in Limbo: UnDACAmented and Navigating Uncertain Futures
October 7, 2019
The Department of Sociology presents the 2019 Charles R. Lawrence II Memorial Lecture by Professor Roberto Gonzales, Harvard University Graduate School of Education and director of Immigration Initiative at Harvard.
The Untold History—130 Years of Women's Political and Economic Advancement
October 3, 2019
The Archives and Special Collections division of the Brooklyn College Library, in collaboration with the YWCA of Brooklyn, unveils an archival historic collection following more than a century of women's political and economic empowerment in Brooklyn. The exhibit, pulled from 350 boxes of historical documents, including more than 6,000 photos dating back to the 1880s, has been organized and prepared for public access and research.
Film Screenings: Period. End of Sentence.
September 26, 2019
Two screenings of the 2019 Oscar-winning documentary film, with Associate Professor Patricia Antoniello facilitating discussion. Co-sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program, the Women's Center, and the Department of Television and Radio.
Film Screening: Chèche Lavi
September 21, 2019
Documentary film that focuses on the experiences of Haitian immigrants who are stranded at the Mexico-U.S. border in 2016, following a mass migration from Brazil. The film explores the relationship between two Haitian men whose friendship and futures were altered by incomprehensible geopolitical forces.
We Are Brooklyn: Immigrant Voices
September 12, 2019
Art exhibit opening, based on oral histories with immigrants and children of immigrants conducted by Brooklyn College students as part of the Brooklyn College Listening Project.
American Torture
April 23, 2018
What happens to American society when the practice of torture is no longer reviled but instead put up for debate? A conversation between CUNY School of Law’s Professor Ramzi Kassem and Brooklyn College Professor Moustafa Bayoumi as they discuss the legal, political, and cultural implications of torture today.
Interfaith Dialog With Mustafa Akyol
April 18, 2018
An interfaith dialogue featuring Turkish writer and The New York Times International journalist Mustafa Akyol, author of Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty.
Frances Haidt Annual Lecture, With Film Screening of Who Will Write Our History?
April 8, 2019
Professor Samuel Kassow, Trinity College, spoke on "History and Catastrophe: The Secret Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto." Kassow is the author of the award-winning, best-selling book Who Will Write Our History?, which was also produced as a highly praised documentary. The film documents the secret Warsaw ghetto archive that was found buried in several tin boxes and metal milk canisters. It includes reenactments of key figures and events to preserve the memory of Jewish life under extreme persecution in Nazi-German occupied Poland during World War II. Discussion and questions were conducted by Professor Robert Shapiro, Department of Judaic Studies, and translator-editor of The Warsaw Ghetto Oyneg Shabes-Ringelblum.
Kassow is the Charles H. Northam Professor of History at Trinity College and holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University. He has been a Lady Davis Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University, the Leon I. Mirell Visiting Professor at Harvard University, and the Shier Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto. From 2006 to 2013 he was the lead historian for two galleries of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and he has been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Jewish Research. A child of Holocaust survivors, Kassow was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany.
OneMind: Peace in the Middle East
March 27, 2018
OneVoice presented a workshop on conflict resolution, using a five-step model designed to depolarize conflict across communities, and foster viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement, and using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a case study.
Discovery Faith
March 23, 2018
Reflections on the major monotheistic religions in dialog with one another, with Professors David Brodsky (Judaic Studies), Bilal Ibrahim (History), Lauren Mancia (History), and Sara Reguer (chair, Program for Studies in Religion).
RespondBC! Opening Reception
March 11, 2018
RespondBC! recognizes the diverse voices of the Brooklyn College community by showcasing their art, in any media, that conveys their personal, social, cultural, or political positions.
Discussing Faith: What the Pre-Modern History of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Interactions Teaches Us
March 6, 2018
What is the history of Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations? History and Judaic Studies faculty engaged in discussion about what we can learn from the pre-modern history of these religions.
Immigration Rights and Resources in CUNY
February 27, 2018
An informative panel discussion on the legal rights of immigrants, and the resources available to them at CUNY.
OneMind: Peace in the Middle East
February 27, 2018
OneVoice presented a workshop on conflict resolution, using a five-step model designed to depolarize conflict across communities, and foster viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement, and using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a case study.
John Hope Franklin Lecture and Freedom Concert
February 26, 2018
The John Hope Franklin Memorial Day celebration opened with a discussion on African American history and the public sphere, featuring panelists David Blight, public historian (Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom), the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s John W. Franklin (My Life and an Era: the Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin), and Kimberley Phillips-Boehm, award-winning historian and writer (War! What is it Good For? Black Freedom Struggles and the U.S. Military from World War II to Iraq). The evening’s Freedom Concert featured the Brooklyn College Symphonic Choir, Conservatory Singers, and Glee Club.
Celebrating Love Across Cultures Through Gospel Music
February 15, 2018
Loving Immigrants in America
November 16, 2017
An enriching conversation about diverse immigrant experiences and their ethical implications in the current political context. Professor Daniel Campos will be in conversation with philosophy student Nimra Asif.
Debating the Future of Policing
November 14, 2017
Professor Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing, debated the future of law enforcement with Heather McDonald, author of The War on Cops.
Watched
November 2, 2017
Watched (Katie Mitchell, 2017), is an intimate and moving exploration of the experience of coming of age - under the gaze of state surveillance. The screening was followed by a discussion with guest speakers, Prof. Jeanne Theoharis and filmmaker, Katie Mitchell.
Strategies to Combat Racism and Anti-Semitism: The Psychodynamics of American Politics
October 19, 2017
Rabbi Michael Lerner discusses the psychopathology in American life that creates the climate in which racism against African Americans and anti-Semitism grow, and strategies to take the country in a different direction.
- Rabbi Michael Lerner Encourages Students to Dream a Different Kind of World
- Strategies to Combat Racism and Anti-Semitism Facebook Video
Immigration Now: DACA & Citizenship Resources in CUNY
October 3, 2017
Jasinta De La Cruz is an immigration lawyer with CUNY’s Citizenship Now! Project, which provides free, confidential immigration legal services to help students, their families, and other immigrants in the city on the path to U.S. citizenship.
Watched
May 16, 2017
Watched (Katie Mitchell, 2017), is an intimate and moving exploration of the experience of coming of age - under the gaze of state surveillance. The screening was followed by a discussion with guest speakers, Prof. Jeanne Theoharis and filmmaker, Katie Mitchell.
Laughter without Borders
May 3, 2017
Andrew Horton's documentary, aughter Without Borders, followed four Swedish clowns in Northern Greece in 2016 as they bring laughter to Syrian refugee children. The screening was followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and some Swedish clowns.
The Sounds of Post-Inauguration Protests
May 2, 2017
The election of Donald Trump inspired thousands of residents across the country, many of them new to activism, to join in active protests. Music and sound are an important means to engage these protesters, build solidarity among them, and keep them going. This was a preliminary account of the sounds of these protests, outlining the paths of historic reference, innovation, and global circulation.
RespondBC!
April 28, 2017
People have used art to respond to shifts in culture, politics, and society for generations. RespondBC! was no different, gathering a series of artworks across all mediums in a response to the current pressures of society and growing political tension in the United States.
NO BAN, NO WALL: The Struggle for Immigrant Rights Under Trump
April 27, 2017
How does one resist the Trump administration's xenophobic policies? Why is it important to engage in this struggle today? In a panel discussion, journalist Sami Disu, Make the Road’s Luiza Tanuri, and Bay Ridge for Social Justice’s Yasmine Kamel, shared how and why everyday people can join the cause.
Ronit and Jamil: A Reading by author Pamela Laskin
April 24, 2017
A beautiful, lyrical novel retelling the story of Romeo and Juliet but through the lens of modern-day lovers during the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, read by author Pamela Laskin.
RespondBC!
April 23, 2017
People have used art to respond to shifts in culture, politics, and society for generations. RespondBC! was no different, gathering a series of artworks across all mediums in a response to the current pressures of society and growing political tension in the United States.
Founders of Serve 2 Unite Stand Up Against Hate
April 17, 2017
Organized by Brooklyn College’s SEEK program, Pardeep Kaleka and Arno Michaelis, Serve 2 Unite co-founders, elaborated on how their experience of hate and violence was transformed into understanding, acceptance, and compassion.
Today's Civil Rights Movement
April 6, 2017
How can we participate in today’s civil rights movement? We asked: Danny Greenberg '66 (Legal Aid Society New York), Judge Sharon Bourne-Clarke '89, Wendy Amengual Wark, and Norman Siegel '65 (NY ACLU) replied.
- We Stand Against Hate Event Takes on Today’s Civil Rights Movement
- Today's Civil Rights Movement Youtube Video
Listen-In/Listen Up! Students Teach the Teachers About Struggle
April 4-5, 2017
Panels of students will share their stories of struggle, what makes them feel vulnerable or unwelcome on campus, and how we can create a more inclusive and nurturing environment at Brooklyn College. Following the panel discussion, the student moderator will lead a wider discussion with student members of the audience.
Shared Paths, Divergent Courses: Zionism & Palestinian Nationalism
March 28, 2017
In a lively back-and-forth hosted in the Woody Tanger Auditorium, Hussein Ibish (Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute) and David Meyers (Judaic Studies, UCLA) provided a thoughtful look at the history and interpretation of two opposing movements: Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism.
- We Stand Against Hate Series Presents "Shared Paths, Divergent Courses: Zionism & Palestinian Nationalism"
- Shared Paths, Divergent Courses Youtube Video
A Historical and Constitutional Assessment of Trump's Immigration EOs
March 28, 2017
Tasked with the difficult job of assessing the historical context of President Trump’s immigration-based executive orders, Cornell University’s Maria Cristina Garcia and the Center of Constitutional Rights’ Shane Kadidal, in two events, provided insight into how Trump’s actions will affect immigrants, refugees, and exiles in the United States.
Ronit and Jamil: A Reading by author Pamela Laskin
March 22, 2017
A beautiful, lyrical novel retelling the story of Romeo and Juliet but through the lens of modern-day lovers during the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, read by author Pamela Laskin.
Freedom Concert
March 22, 2017
A celebration of Coretta Scott King’s vital role in the civil rights movement through choral music, poetry, and prose, led by professors Malcolm J. Merriweather and Ira Spaulding.
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me: A Fake News Event
March 21, 2017
A fun, informative game show, hosted by professors Beth Evans, MJ Robinson, and Katherine Fry, that served to teach students how to identify and deal with the problem of fake news in modern journalism.
Freedom Concert
March 20, 2017
A celebration of Coretta Scott King’s vital role in the civil rights movement through choral music, poetry, and prose, led by professors Malcolm J. Merriweather and Ira Spaulding.
Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop
March 24, 2017
Culminating in mini-performances based on collected stories, Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop brought together storytelling, conversion, and improvisation skills in a series of helpful workshops.
Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop
March 10, 2017
Culminating in mini-performances based on collected stories, Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop brought together storytelling, conversion, and improvisation skills in a series of helpful workshops.
Disturbing the Peace: A Documentary about Israeli and Palestinian Activism
March 6, 2017
Disturbing the Peace highlights former Israeli and Palestinian combatants who transform into nonviolent peace activists, culminating in forming Combatants for Peace. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers and participating members of Combatants for Peace.
Founders of Serve 2 Unite Stand Up Against Hate
March 2, 2017
Organized by Brooklyn College’s SEEK program, Pardeep Kaleka and Arno Michaelis, Serve 2 Unite co-founders, elaborated on how their experience of hate and violence was transformed into understanding, acceptance, and compassion.
John Hope Franklin Celebration
February 28, 2017
A collection of films, lectures, political dialogues, and an exhibition of African-American art and history, that celebrated the life and work of John Hope Franklin, the first African-American chair of an academic department.
- John Hope Franklin Memorial Day Celebrated at Brooklyn College as Part of Its "We Stand Against Hate" Initiative
- John Hope Franklin Celebration Youtube Video
Surveillance and the First Amendment
February 22, 2017
In this conversation, professors Moustafa Bayoumi (English), Benjamin Carp (History), Sandra Kingan (Mathematics), and Alex Vitale (Sociology) tackled the problem of state-sponsored, undercover operations on university campuses in the context of the First Amendment.
- Brooklyn College Faculty View First Amendment Rights Through an Interdisciplinary Lens
- Surveillance and the First Amendment Facebook Video
How to Engage Others and Accept and Understand Difference: A Skills-Building Workshop
February 21, 2017
In this panel, Professors Penny Repetti (Philosophy) and Katie Rose Hejtmanek (Anthropology) explored the meaning of human culture and how to accept and understand the variety differences among them.
Executive Order Q & A
A Q&A on President’s Trump’s Travel Ban, an executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, that featured immigration lawyer Arda Beskardes, and hosted by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.
February 16, 2017
Children's Books on Compassion
February 14, 2017
First of a series of monthly dialogs on high-quality children's books, occasionally with the author, designed to develop empathy in readers of all. Hosted by Dean April Bedford, the Children's Books on Compassion Series promoted the best of children’s literature and their authors.
