Virtual Forum Series (Archived)

This monthly series consisted of speakers and facilitated breakout room small group discussions that promoted the development of LMU as an anti-racist institution through campus-wide dialogue and education.  The fall 2021 series examined anti-racism through different lenses and issues—free speech, impacts of white supremacy and anti-Black racism, and religious/spiritual values and traditions.  The spring 2021 series focused on the Jesuit legacy and Catholic church’s role in impeding and supporting racial justice. 

FALL 2021 SEMESTER

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michelle Deutchman - Executive Director, National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, UCI

Departmental Sponsors:       

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
• Ethnic and Intercultural Services
• ASLMU
• Intercultural Facilitators

Mental Health Resources for Racial Trauma

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis - Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Culture and Trauma Research Lab at Pepperdine University

Dr. Bryant-Davis is a licensed psychologist, ordained minister, and sacred artist who has worked nationally and globally to provide relief and empowerment to marginalized persons. Dr. Bryant-Davis received her doctorate from Duke University in Clinical Psychology with a focus on the cultural context of trauma recovery, as well as the intersection of gender and racial identity. She completed her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical Center’s Victims of Violence Program, and is a past American Psychological Association representative to the United Nations. She is a tenured professor of psychology at Pepperdine University where she teaches on Trauma in Diverse Populations and Clinical Skills.

Departmental Sponsors:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
• Ethnic and Intercultural Services
• GSLMU
• ASLMU

Please note that this forum video is only available to those with LMU login credentials. 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Metzl – Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University

Departmental Sponsors:

SPRING SEMESTER

Panelists:

• Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference
• Cheryllyn Branche, President of the GU272 Descendants Association
• Danielle Harrison, M.A., J.D., Co-Director of the Slavery, History, Memory and Reconciliation Project

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as part of the CSJ Center 2021 Symposium and the LMU Anti-Racism Project,  is hosting a virtual forum with the Jesuit Community on February 4 from 4-5:30 pm. Truth and Reconciliation: The Sin of Jesuit Slaveholding will feature panelists: Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference, Cheryllyn Branche, President of the GU272 Descendants Association and Danielle Harrison, Co-Director of the Slavery, History, Memory and Reconciliation Project.

Departmental Sponsors:

• Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Jesuit Community
• Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
• Ethnic and Intercultural Services
• ASLMU
• GSLMU

March 19, 2021 | 2:00 - 3:15pm | Video Coming Soon

A Faith That Does Justice: Interfaith Perspectives

Keynote Speaker: Marla Frederick, Ph.D., Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Religion and Culture at Emory University

Department Sponsors:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
• Campus Ministry
• Interfaith Council
• Ethnic and Intercultural Services
• ASLMU
• GSLMU

Dr. Marla F. Frederick employs an interdisciplinary approach to examine the overlapping spheres of religion, race, gender, media, politics, and economics. Her teaching interests encompass the anthropology of religion and the African American religious experience, and her ongoing research interests include the study of religion and media, religion and economics, and the sustainability of Black institutions in a 'post-racial' world. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Milton Fund, the Louisville Institute, and the Ford Foundation, among others. She currently serves as the vice president of the American Academy of Religion, the world’s largest association of scholars in religious studies and related fields.

The last Virtual Forum of the 2020-21 academic year focused on LMU’s actions towards anti-racism. What has been accomplished this year? What lessons can we learn from our actions? This forum provides the LMU community with a year-end time for review, reflection, and renewal.

Speakers: 

• Lauren Morrison, Class of ‘21, Psychology
• Timothy Law Snyder, President
• Elsie Mares, Class of ‘21, Vice President, ASLMU, Political Science and Economics
• Lane Bove, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs
• Tom Poon, Executive Vice President and Provost
• Lynne Scarboro, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
• Juan Mah y Busch, Professor, English
• Jennifer Belichesky-Larson, Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives
• Marianna Villa, Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives
• Csilla Samay, Assistant Dean of Students for the Office of International Students
• Heather Tarleton, Associate Dean, Seaver College of Science and Engineering
• Trevor Zink, Associate Professor, Management, Honors Program Director
• Jennifer Abe, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Hon. Judge Irma Brown, Los Angeles Superior Court (retired), DEI Trustee Liaison, Marymount College ‘70, Loyola Law School ‘73