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National Teach-in to Cover "Austerity, Debt and Corporate Greed"


The community is invited to participate in a live national teach-in,  ”Austerity, Debt and Corporate Greed,” from 2 to 5 p.m. April 5 in the Warren Ballrooms of the Angell College Center on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus.

The teach-in will be streamed live from the Judson Memorial Church in New York City and hosted by Cornel West and Frances Fox Piven. Following the streaming, community members will engage in a conversation about what can be done on a local level to address these issues. A main focus will be the recent debate about the rights and responsibilities of public sector programs and employees versus corporations and the wealthy.

A pre teach-in session will be held in Room 220, Yokum Hall, from 11 to 12:30 that day for individuals who are unfamiliar with the issues being addressed or in need of more background information. This program will provide participants with the basics needed to fully engage the topics addressed at the teach-in.

Currently the Class of 1943 professor at Princeton University, West burst onto the national scene in 1993 with his bestselling book, “Race Matters,” a searing analysis of racism in American democracy. It has become a contemporary classic, selling more than half a million copies to date. West has published 20 other books and has edited 13 texts. He also offers commentary weekly on “The Tavis Smiley Show” from Public Radio International and was an influential force in developing the storyline for the popular Matrix movie trilogy and has served as its official spokesperson, as well as playing a recurring role in the final two films.

Distinguished Professor Fox Piven teaches at CUNY’s Graduate Center. Prior to her appointment there, she held positions at Boston University, Columbia University, New York University Law School, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Vienna, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Bologna. She is past vice-president of the American Political Science Association, has served as program co-chair of the annual political science meetings and is a past president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.  She is currently president of the American Sociological Association and a recipient of numerous awards, including the President's Award of the American Public Health Association and the American Sociological Association's Career Award for the Practice of Sociology, as well as their award for the Public Understanding of Sociology. Her books deal with the development of the welfare state, political movements and urban political and electoral politics.

The Center for Diversity, Pluralism, and Inclusion at SUNY Plattsburgh, in connection with other departments on campus, is organizing this event in order to open up other avenues of discourse around this topic. This event is free and open to the public.

• Pre Teach-In:  11 a.m. -12:30 p.m. - Yokum Hall 202.
• Live National Teach-In: 2 -3:30 p.m. - Warren Ballrooms, Angell College Center.
• Community Discussion: 3:30 -5 p.m. – Warren Ballrooms, Angell College Center.

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