Who We Are:
Solidarity Sessions is a discussion series at the Institute of Black Culture (IBC) and the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures (La Casita) where professors, grad students, and community organizers lead students in discussions on various issues concerning Black and Latinx communities. These sessions are open and welcoming of all to provide them with a structured opportunity to meet and engage with a diverse body of scholars and community members at and around UF. Additionally, our goal for this series is to foster an environment within the institutes to serve as spaces to conduct and share research as well as to bridge the gap between the Gainesville community and UF students and resources.
Statement of Purpose:
The purpose of this series is to provide students with periodic discussions hosted by grad students, professors, staff, or community members at the IBC and La Casita encompassing a variety of issues facing our communities. As a discussion, students are encouraged to participate and offer personal insight drawing from their unique experiences. These conversations are intended to:
- Highlight the diversity of Black and Latinx experiences
- Educate students on Black and Latinx history
- Challenge students to consider their positionality in a global context
- Empower students to develop their own identities
Solidarity Sessions is open and welcoming of all students providing them with a structured opportunity to meet and engage with a diverse body of scholars and community members at and around UF. Not only does this give academics and community organizers a space to visit and participate at IBC and La Casita (these buildings were built to serve as a spaces to conduct and share research as well as to serves as bridges between the Gainesville community and University students and resources), it provides students with regular interactions with these groups. This series takes place both at the IBC and La Casita interchangeably to encourage discussion in both spaces.
Come to the next Solidarity Session!
Solidarity Sessions: Healthcare Disparities and the Coronavirus
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Solidarity Sessions are postponed until campus is reopened. However, the Solidarity Sessions team is committed to continuing to educating UF students on issues affecting Black and Latinx populations. Learn more about this effort here.
Past Solidarity Sessions:
3/11 | Is Latinx A Race?: The Racialization of Latinidad
Lead by Dr. Nick Vargas – Associate Professor of Sociology and Latin American Studies
2/26 | Love and Abuse
Lead by Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network
2/12 | Racism in the Latinx Community
Lead by Dr. Rosana Resende – Lecturer at the UF Center for Latin American Studies
2/10 | More Than An Athlete
Lead by Raja Rahim – Doctoral Candidate in the UF Department of History
Recognition:
The Latin American and Latinx Studies Symposium
Solidarity Sessions was accepted to present at the 2020 Latin American and Latinx Studies Symposium at Rollins College. The Latin American and Latinx Studies Symposium welcomes undergraduate students to share their research on themes related to current domestic and foreign issues in Latin America and the Latinx population in the United States. The Solidarity Sessions team was invited to present on the Education: Sovereignty and Solidarity panel on a paper titled Reclaiming Our Space: Solidarity Sessions at the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures. This conference, which was originally scheduled for April 3, 2020, was sadly cancelled due to COVID-19.
Contact Us:
If you’re interested in collaborating with Solidarity Sessions or have any general questions about this series our Solidarity Sessions coordinators can be reached via the email addresses below:
Aliya Miranda | aliya.miranda.mail@gmail.com
Isabella Oliver | ioliver23@ufl.edu