Jose Zapata Calderon Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Chicano/a and Latino/a Studies 1050 North Mills Avenue Claremont, CA 91711-6101 (909) 952-1640 Jose_Calderon@pitzer.edu Website: www.josezcalderon.com
TPP Newsletter 10/25-10/29/2021
Weekly Spotlight
The National Lawyers Guild is an organization aiming “to use law for the people, uniting lawyers, law students, legal workers, and jailhouse lawyers to function as an effective force in the service of the people by valuing human rights and ecosystems over property interests.
The NLG is dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system. The NLG is anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and anti-racist and we strive to bring in anti-oppressive practices to all aspects of our organization. Through the national office, local and law school chapters, national committees, independent projects, and individual members, the Guild helps to support social justice movements on the ground as well as provide solidarity to international struggles.”
The People’s Pitzer is hosting a Know Your Rights (KYR) event with the NLG this Thursday evening – see more on how to register and attend this event below. The NLG publishes pocket-sized KYR booklets, available here in a wide variety of languages, which are designed to be a practical resource for people dealing with law enforcement advising people of their rights when confronted by FBI agents or the Department of Homeland Security, including information for noncitizens and minors.
Volunteers Needed
Debating for Democracy Letter Writing Competition
Every year, Pitzer works with Project Pericles to promote civic engagement within higher education through a letter-writing project: Debating for Democracy (D4D). D4D is an annual competition where students research, develop, and advocate their opinions and positions on current public policy issues. Pitzer students will produce a co-written (two Pitzer/non-senior students minimum), two page letter to a federal or state elected official advocating for a legislative response to a current issue. The primary goal of D4D is to inspire and encourage all participants to become successful and resourceful advocates in their community. Out of the thirty Periclean institutions, five winning teams will be selected to receive $500 towards mobilizing on their issue back at their home college the following year.
Interested in participating? Learn more about participating in this competition by reviewing the Request for Proposals (RFP) here and we have created a rubric based on the RFP to guide letter writing here. Letters are due in March 2022 but we recommend getting started as soon as possible. You can view previous winning letters here as well as a helpful infographic we have created here. TPP will host a letter-writing workshop next month to assist student interested in participating. If you need more information, please reach out to aneuburg@students.pitzer.edu.
October Events
October 28 @ 5:30 pm: National Lawyers Guild Know Your Rights
Virtual Event – Register here
The People’s Pitzer and Direct Action (both programs of the Community Engagement Center at Pitzer College) have joined forces to host an important event which highlights the intersection of policy, direct action support, and the legal/criminal justice system. Please join us in attending our event with the National Lawyers Guild of Los Angeles for training on legal rights for protest and other potential encounters with law enforcement. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to attend this free and public event. This training will be focused on legal protection and awareness to prevent criminalization when possible. For more information, contact immediate_action@pitzer.edu.
Did you miss our College for All Organizing distinguished panel event on October 13th? Watch the recording of the College for All Organizing plenary discussion featuring Pitzer Emeritus Professor Jose Calderon, Pitzer Latin@ Studies & Sociology senior Melanie Andreo, Pasadena Unified School District Director of Pupil Resources Cesar Casarrubias, Chaffey High School Social Science Teacher and Oscar Segovia, and Pomona Education Coalition member Fabian Pavon to discuss the ways in which they organized at their schools and districts, local communities, and at the state capital to succeed in passing ethnic studies requirements for K-12 education in the state and the fight for college access.
Save the Date
Tuesday, November 9 @ 6-7:30 pm: Trans Policy and Rights with Joanna Atzerbaum-Chang
Register to attend Virtual Event
Please join us for our first event of November for The People’s Pitzer featuring a panel discussion with Q & A. This panel will feature PZ alum Joanna Atzerbaum-Chang (formerly with the Trans Latina Coalition), Keck Science Professor and Chair of the Trans Awareness Planning and Support committee (TAPAS) at Pitzer College Nancy Williams, and another guest (TBD) for a discussion on trans policy and rights at the institutional level, at the state level in California, and beyond.
Thursday, November 18 @ 5:30pm-6:45pm: Workshop with Dana Nothnagel
Register to attend Virtual Event
Dana was born and raised in Illinois and graduated from Pitzer College in 2019 with a degree in Political Studies. After graduation she accepted a fellowship with the Capital Fellows Executive Fellowship program in Sacramento, CA. She was placed at the California Research Bureau, an advisory agency that provides non-partisan, confidential research to the Governor’s Office and Legislature. After completing her fellowship, she moved to the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research where she conducted research on the economic impact of national security investment in California communities. Dana now serves as the Program Coordinator for the California Grants Portal, a new website focused on making over $20 billion in State funding opportunities accessible to all Californians. Dana is eager to help Claremont students understand the impacts they can have on the lives of 40 million Californians through a career in California’s capital.
Connect with Us
Want to hear more from The People’s Pitzer? Join our email list here. Want to get involved in the Community Engagement Center in other ways? Fill out our volunteer interest form here.
Follow our Instagram and Facebook (@ThePeoplesPitzer) for updates, and be sure to check out our website to see all our resources. Keep an eye out for future newsletters as well!
Further questions? Comments? Concerns? For more information about The People’s Pitzer, as well as how to get involved in our team, contact Alaina Neuburger at aneuburg@students.pitzer.edu.
