24th Annual Building Bridges ConferenceMarch 2, 2019 at 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This year's conference, titled "Immigration: Demolishing the Legacy of Bigotry in the Land of Opportunity" will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2019, beginning at 9 a.m. The conference will explore US Immigration history and the implications of this on today's policies and social climate. The goal of the conference is to address the fact that immigration policy has been used as a tool to legitimize racism, xenophobia, and other acts of bigotry toward those who have been "othered" by American society. We wish to highlight the lives and stories of the people impacted by this every day, using a social justice lens. The conference will feature keynote lectures, workshop sessions, as well as an interactive action piece. We encourage you to attend the conference and join us as we examine the average US citizen's proximity to instances of systemic violence. Together we can dismantle the system that legitimizes the criminalization and dehumanization of immigrants, and advocate for a just society that promotes the human rights and civil liberties of all people.
The conference is supplemented with a series of workshops and an interactive walk-through to allow attendees to fully explore the impact of immigration and what it means to be an immigrant in modern-day America. This conference focuses on laying down the foundation for critical dialogue about pressing global issues and dispelling any beliefs that one's actions cannot be a catalyst for creating positive social change.
Building Bridges is a student organization at Gustavus Adolphus College that focuses on educating and informing community members on issues relating to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Building Bridges' signature event is the annual Building Bridges Conference, which takes place every spring. The conference is completely organized and run by students, who choose the focus of each year's conference. Building Bridges members work all year to not only educate and bring awareness, but also to give attendees the tools to be active and engaged in these social justice issues. The conference aims to educate the community through keynote speakers, a series of workshops and an interactive action piece. Past topics have included: Mental Health (2018), Grassroots Movements (2017), The War on Drugs (2016), Rape Culture (2015), Environmental Justice (2014), and Mass Incarceration (2013)
