2nd Annual Social Justice Conference
Information and Background

Cabrillo College’s 2nd Annual Social Justice Conference will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2008 from 9:00 to 3:30 and will include a key-note speaker, break-out sessions, and a community fair.

As the drive toward social justice rests in the hearts of Cabrillo College students, administrators, faculty, staff and the greater Santa Cruz community, the conference took off with last year's theme: Imagining Change/Shaping the Future.

Over 350 people attended the 2007 conference where the Honorable John Laird gave the keynote address and where over 30 panels, papers, and creative works were presented in fifteen break-out sessions.

Integral to the conference, we had approximately fifteen community groups including the NAACP, Santa Cruz Cuba Caravans, and People Power!, participate in our community fair where each organization hosted a table and shared their mission and work toward social justice in the greater Santa Cruz community with conference attendees.

We plan to follow a similar format for the 2008 conference.

Key-Note Speaker

Ms. Banafsheh Akhlaghi, Attorney at Law: National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement, will be our keynote speaker for the 2008 conference.

Banafsheh Akhlaghi is the President and Founder of the National Legal Sanctuary for Community Advancement (NLSCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the human rights and dignity of Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (MEMSA) peoples.

Ms. Akhlaghi is a lead advocate for the rights of the MEMSA community, and is committed to fostering collaboration among partnering organizations, governmental and non-governmental, invested in securing human and civil rights.

Prior to practicing law, Ms. Akhlaghi was a professor of Constitutional Law at the John F. Kennedy School.  In 2001, Ms. Akhlaghi gave up her teaching position to create Akhlaghi & Associates, a private practice specializing in immigration and civil rights post 9/11.  In September of 2004, she transformed Akhlaghi & Associates into NLSCA, which has since emerged as a lead advocate of civil rights and human rights for the MEMSA community in the post-9/11 era.  Since beginning this work, Ms. Akhlaghi has provided over 1,200 individuals with direct legal services on a sliding-scale and pro-bono basis, via consultations, referrals, and direct representation.

Break-out Panels

In order to foster student professionalization, academic success, and community involvement, we invite Cabrillo College administrators, students, faculty, and staff to present original academic work, research projects and artistic productions and projects.

Community Fair

We also invite community-based organizations to participate in our community fair and host an information table.

How to Participate

Attend the conference on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
(All invited!) Click Here

Host an information table at the community fair.
(Any organization in Santa Cruz County with social justice as part of their mission statement.) Click Here

Present at the conference.
(Cabrillo College students, administrators, faculty and staff.)

(We are no-longer accepting applications for our break-out sessions.)