Contact Zone: UCLA Activists-in-Residence
Contact Zones are social spaces of engagement. Join us for this new speaker series from the Library Diversity Committee that will bring together community leaders and experts to help us navigate issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion. For our inaugural installment, learn from the experiences and projects of UCLA’s first Activists-in-Residence. Hear their tips and advice on how to create a more diverse and inclusive environment at UCLA.
Held in the YRL Main Conference Room. Refreshments provided.
Speakers:
Funmilola Fagbamila is the Activist-in-Residence at the Institute on Inequality and Democracy at UCLA and a Professor of Pan African Studies at Cal State Los Angeles.
As an original member of the Black Lives Matter movement, she has been organizing with BLM since its inception in 2013. While Funmilola's artistry is multifaceted, including spoken word and hip hop, her current project, entitled The Intersection, is a stage play on the complexities of black political identity, black radicalism, and what she has coined the “black liberation ego.”
In 2015, Funmilola was honored by the Black Community, Clergy and Labor Alliance for her commendable activist scholarship, service and struggle. She frequently sits on community panels regarding police brutality, criminal justice, arts activism, and overall wellness in black communities; most recently presenting at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference.