Past ConferencesA Brief History of Building Bridges (2006-2014)

2006

  • Topic:
    • "Unspoken Voices" : A conferenced centered on unsung heroes in our everyday lives that go unnoticed. 
  • Keynote:
    •  Inge Auerbacher: Author, inspirational speaker, and Holocaust survivor.

2007

  • Topic:
    • "Finding Your Voice: Putting Awareness into Action": A conference focusing on themes present in previous years such as "Unspoken Voice" and "Taking Action", while taking it a step further and showing the impact on the world around you by using your voice to raise awareness. 
  • Keynote: 
    • Lisa Ling: A special correspondent for the Oprah Show and a contributerw to national Geographis channel and the Oxygen Network.

2008

  • Topic:
    • "Genocide Awareness: How Will History Judge Us?": A conference that provides students a means to be involved, take action, and defeat the notion that one person cant make a differnece in the world.
  • Keynote 
    • Paul Rusesabagina: The hotel manager in Rwanda who found courage to shleter more than 1,000 refugees from certain death.

2009

  • Topic:
    • "Liberation through Education": A conference with a focus on eduactional inequality in the U.S and abroad, highlighting the important influence an aducation has on an individual's future. 
  • Keynote: 
    • Erin Gruwell: An inspirationl teacher advocate for education. She started her career at Wilson High School in California in which she got 150 teens to graduate high school who had been demed "unteachable"
    • Maria Reyes: One of the origianl Freedom Writers from Erin Gruwells class and book they all wrote entitled "The Freedom writers diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them" 

2010

  • Topic
    • "Immigration: Surviving the Land of Opportunity": This conference focuses on the process and obstacles of becoming a citizen in the United States. 
  • Keynote:
    • Kao Kalia Yang: Hmong refugee from Thailand and renowned author for her work "The Late Gome Comer: A Hmong Family Memoir".
    • Dr. Paul Hillmer: Founder of Hmong Oral History Project which connects younger generations with surrounding communities. 

2011

  • Topic
    • "I'm Not For Sale: slavery Past and Present": A conference that provided a rewarding opportunity to engage in important dialogue regarding slavery- from the historical slave trade to today's modern society. 
  • Keynote
    • Dr. Joy DrGruy: Her work suggest that countries of slavery follwed by systemic racism and oppression have resulted in multigenerational adaptive behaviors. "Post traumatic Slave Syndrome". 

2012

  • Topic
    • "Unresolved Conflcit: Remember Our Forgotten History": A conference that allow attendees to engage in important dialogue as Building Bridges plaves a spotlight on American indian history and culture. Specifically, the impact of colonization on American Indians, past and present. 
  • Keynote
    • Charolette Black Elk: "What the constitution means to American Indians". Primary advocate for the Black Hills land return.

2013

  • Topic
    • "Sentenced For Life: Confornting The Calamity of Mass Incarceration"
  • Keynote
    • Dr. Angela Davis: Author of "Abolition Democracy and are Prisoners Obsolete?". She draws on her own experiences in the 70's as a person who spent 18 months in jail and on trial after being placed on the FBI's "Top Ten Most Wanted List" 
    • Dr. Mare Lamont Hill: Co-author of "The Classroom and the Cell: Conversation on Black Life in America". Written with political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. 

2014

  • Topic
    • "Disposable Communities: Demanding Environmental Justice": A conference that offers and opportunity to engage in important dialogue as Building Bridges shines a spotlight on the unequal distributuion of environmental burdens.
  • Keynote
    • Van jones: Author of two New york Times bestsellers, personifies environmental justice through both environmental and civil rights activism. Founder of Green for All, a national organization working to provide green jobs to disadvantaged communities. In 2009, he was named by times one of the top 100 most influential people in the world. 
    • Alexie Torres-Fleming: Her passion stems from her own childhood in the south Bronx during the late 1960's and 70's. A perios known as the "Burning of the Bronx". Visionary Environmental Justice activist from the Bronx who strives to help communities understand their own power.