Catalyst Series for Social Justice
Sparking Action for Social Change
At the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), we don’t just educate students. We also help to educate our community through programs such as the Catalyst Series for Social Justice. Founded in 2016, the Catalyst Series brings campus and community together for timely — and sometimes tough — discussions and workshops on a broad range of issues.
Whether the topic is white fragility, body positivity or art as activism, the goals are the same: to inform, prompt reflection, facilitate public dialogue and spark action.
Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism
Ben Lorber & Shane Burley
Join GSSW in welcoming authors Shane Burley and Ben Lorber as our Fall 2024 Catalyst Series for Social Justice Speakers. Burley and Lorber will share readings from their book and we will engage in discussion on their co-authored book Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism.
- November 7, 2024
- 12:00 PM MDT
- Virtual
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Description
Antisemitism is on the rise today. From synagogue shootings by white nationalists, to right-wing politicians and media figures pushing George Soros conspiracy theories, it’s clear that exclusionary nationalist movements are growing. By spreading division and fear, they put Jews, along with other marginalized groups and multiracial democracy itself, at risk.
And since the outbreak of war in Gaza, debates around antisemitism have become more polarized and high-stakes than ever. How can we stand in solidarity with Palestinians seeking justice, while also avoiding antisemitism — and resisting those who seek to conflate the two? How do we forge the coalitions across communities that we need, in order to overcome the politics of division and fear?
Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Burley and Lorber help us break the current impasse to understand how antisemitism works, what’s missing in contemporary debates, and how to build true safety through solidarity, for Jews and all people.
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Shane Burley Bio
Shane Burley is a journalist and filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon. He is the author, co-author, and editor of four books, including Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism (Melville House, 2024) and Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It (AK Press, 2017). His work has been featured in NBC News, Al Jazeera, Jewish Currents, The Daily Beast, Jacobin, The Baffler, Yes! Magazine, The Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism, and the Oregon Historical Quarterly. Follow him on Twitter @shane_burley1 and Instagram @shaneburley
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Ben Lorber Bio
Ben Lorber is Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates, a social movement think tank, where he studies and publishes on antisemitism and white nationalism. He previously worked as national campus organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace, supporting justice-driven young Jewish communities across the country, and has written extensively on antisemitism, Israel/Palestine and Jewish identity.
8,000 people The Catalyst Series for Social Justice has engaged more than 8,000 people since 2016, either in person or online. Since all Catalyst Series events are streamed via Facebook Live, you don’t have to be in Denver to take part!
Whether you’re looking for social justice discussions, science symposia or continuing education options, you’ll find it at the Graduate School of Social Work.
Images of past events
Art work by art-activist Favianna Rodriguez. Her art and collaborative projects deal with migration, global politics, economic injustice, patriarchy and interdependence.
Art and Activism audience members from 2017 Catalyst Series event.
Lydia Prado speaking at 2017 Catalyst Series event "Power of Place." Prado promotes the development of prevention and early intervention strategies, the establishment of community-based partnerships, staff development and training, and transformation of traditional delivery models for work with diverse populations.
Power of Place audience members from 2017 Catalyst Series event.
Raúl Pérez speaking at 2017 Catalyst Series event "Racist and Anti-Racist Humor." His research interests include race, racism and humor, and their connections to social inequality and social movements.
Lalo Alcaraz speaking at 2017 Catalyst Series event "Racist and Anti-Racist Humor." Alcaraz is a cartoonist, most known for being the author of the comic La Cucaracha, the first nationally syndicated, politically-themed Latino daily comic strip.
Robin DiAngelo speaking at 2017 Catalyst Series event "White Fragility." DiAngelo's scholarship is in white racial identity and race relations.
White Fragility audience members from 2017 Catalyst Series event.
A performer and storyteller from the 2018 Catalyst Series event "Truth to Power: Personal Storytelling for Social Justice."
Kate Smith, another participant and storyteller at 2018 Catalyst Series event "Truth to Power: Personal Storytelling for Social Justice."
Virgie Tovar speaking at 2018 Catalyst Series event "Lose Hate, Not Weight." Tovar is an author, activist and leader on topics of fat discrimination and body image.
Virgie Tovar with audience members from "Lose Hate Not Weight."
Jess T. Dugan speaking at the Catalyst Series for Social Justice event: To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults. Dugan is photographer and artist whose work explores issues of identity through photographic portraiture.
An audience member viewing the art gallery exhibit from Catalyst Series for Social Justice event: To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults.
An audience member viewing the art gallery exhibit from Catalyst Series for Social Justice event: To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults.
