Good Trouble Conversations on Race and Justice
Join us for moderated, open and free discussions about current race and justice topics and how we can effect positive change. For more information about the Good Trouble Conversations series, contact the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence at diverse@regis.edu.
Spring 2024 Conversations
Considerations of Race and Gender in the Cause for the Canonization of Julia Greeley
Date: Friday, Feb. 9
Time: Noon-1p.m.
Location: Claver Hall, 328
Description: Making the case that the Catholic Church should declare someone a saint is a fascinating but challenging process. The cause for the canonization of Julia Greeley, a formerly enslaved African American women, was made more challenging by her identity within the context of America’s and the Church’s notions of what it is to be Black and female in this country. This talk addresses the canonization processes and the special considerations of race and gender in cause.
An English professor by discipline, Barbara Wilcots serves as vice president of Student Affairs at Regis University. As a member of the Historical Commission for the Cause for Canonization for Julia Greeley, she was charged with researching and writing about Greeley within the context of the African American community in the late 1800s until her death in 1918.
Women's History Month: A Conversation on Radical Empathy in Multicultural Women’s Fiction, with Dr. Lara Narcisi and Dr. Nicki Gonzales
Date: Friday, March 15
Time: Noon-1 p.m.
Location: Claver Hall, 328
Description: Dr. Nicki Gonzales and Dr. Lara Narcisi will discuss the latter’s recent book, Radical Empathy in Multicultural Women’s Fiction: From the Library to Liberation. The book calls readers to experience radical empathy through fiction by putting women writers of color’s works in conversation with each other. It forges dialogues between contemporary Asian American, African American, and Chicana writers around intersectional topics of race, gender, and class, aspiring to inspire readers to take action for social justice. Dr. Narcisi and Dr. Gonzales hope to model this same style of academic conversation around topics of race and gender in both their work.
¿Por qué escribimos? Inspirándonos en las voces de las mujeres centroamericanas
Why do we write? Drawing inspiration from Central American women's voices
Date: Friday, March 22
Time: Noon-1:30 p.m.
Location: Claver Hall, Room 210
Description: Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton’s 1962 poem ¿Por qué Escribimos? (“Why Do We Write?”) concludes by saying: Eso hacemos: custodiamos para ellos el tiempo que nos toca (“That is what we do: We guard for them the time that we live in”).
Today, more than 25 years after the end of the civil war in El Salvador, writing and archiving the experiences and ideas of those who lived those years has become a priority, before they are lost. Dalton’s poem is a reminder that writing culture in Central America has a long tradition and has been connected to the experiences of those who want to change their communities for the good. Inspired by this poem this workshop engages with this same question: ¿Por qué Escribimos? (Why do we write?).
Susana Reyes, Salvadoran poet and editor from Ojo de Cuervo, and Heider Tun Tun, Regis assistant professor of history, will discuss the importance of writing and personal stories within the perspectives of Central American people. Workshop participants will explore examples of personal accounts from Central American women writers and leaders, to learn how we can participate in the production of knowledge through our personal and community archives. Participants also will write the first page of their own memoirs, drawing connections between their own stories and those of their communities.
This workshop will be bilingual (Spanish and English) and open to any Regis or community member.
Descripción: ¿Por qué escribimos? Inspirándonos en las voces de las mujeres centroamericanas
El poema de 1962 del poeta salvadoreño Roque Dalton, ¿Por qué escribimos? concluye diciendo: Eso hacemos: custodiamos para ellos el tiempo que nos toca.
Hoy, más de 25 años después del fin de la guerra civil en El Salvador, escribir y archivar las experiencias e ideas de quienes vivieron esos años se ha vuelto una prioridad, antes de que se pierdan. El poema de Dalton es un recordatorio de que la cultura escrita en América Central tiene una larga tradición y ha estado conectada con las experiencias de aquellos que quieren cambiar sus comunidades para bien. Inspirado por este poema, este taller se involucra con la misma pregunta: ¿Por qué Escribimos?
Susana Reyes, poeta y editora salvadoreña de Ojo de Cuervo, y Heider Tun Tun, profesor asistente de historia de Regis, discutirán la importancia de escribir y las historias personales desde la perspectiva de las personas centroamericanas. Los participantes del taller explorarán ejemplos de relatos personales de escritoras y líderes centroamericanas, para aprender cómo podemos participar en la producción de conocimiento a través de nuestros archivos personales y comunitarios. Los participantes también escribirán la primera página de sus propias memorias, estableciendo conexiones entre sus propias historias y las de sus comunidades.
Este taller será bilingüe (español e inglés) y estará abierto a cualquier miembro de Regis o de la comunidad.
Injustices in the Denver Housing Market with BMO
Date: Friday, April 12
Time: Noon-1p.m.
Location: Claver Hall, 210
Description: Partners from BMO will host a panel discussion that is focused on the injustices and inequities of the Denver Housing Market. They will discuss the historical context that has led to the current market conditions and the markets effects on BIPOC communities. They will also talk about their efforts in diverse market lending and how they advocate for homeownership in marginalized communities, as well as what we can do to combat this growingly aggressive market.
Good Trouble Conversation Series, Engaging Israel, Palestine: Jewish, Palestinian, and Christian Nationalisms
- Series Discussion 1: Feb. 2, noon-1 p.m., Second Floor Lounge of the Student Center
- Series Discussion 2: Feb. 23, noon-1 p.m., Second Floor Lounge of the Student Center
This series will engage with the concept of how Jewish, Palestinian, and Christian Nationalisms impact the conflict today and how these nationalisms also contextualize the long and complex history of the region. Come with your questions and thoughts, as this will be a safe place to process and further educate yourself.
This will be a three-part series which take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Feb. 2 and Feb. 23, with the third conversation to be scheduled soon. The first two conversations will be hosted on the Second Floor Lounge of the Student Center.
These conversations are inspired by the late Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis, who passed away in 2020. Lewis, who was beaten by police during the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, called on people to "get in good trouble, necessary trouble and redeem the soul of America." He urged young people to speak out, be persistent, and be non-violent in demanding transformational societal change.
"You must find a way to get in the way and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. You have a moral obligation, a mission and a mandate, when you leave here, to go out and seek justice for all. You can do it. You must do it."
-John Lewis, speech to college graduates, 2016
Community Forum on Race and Justice
We've been here many times before, but this moment feels different. The scale of protests; the intensity of pain being shared by the Black community; the expressions of support and allyship from other historically marginalized communities and white citizens; and the tenor of the calls for justice from public figures, faith leaders, and educational institutions—these give me hope. These forces are pushing us all to reckon with America's original sin of racism and its institutions, policies, and attitudes.
As an American historian, I look to the past to make sense of the present and to hope for the future. Our history is filled with moments of opportunity that we squandered. Moments when we had the chance to prioritize the promises of our founding documents and we didn't. Moments when justice-minded folks almost found unity, but then didn't. Moments when we created programs for change, but then forgot to listen to those most affected by them. My hope is that we seize this moment and come together in the long, hard work of justice and resist the forces that try to divide us. My hope is that we all use our privilege to amplify voices that are all-too-often silenced or ignored in the flurry of activity and emotions of moments like this.
Thank you to all who contributed their words of wisdom and strength here. Making our voices heard collectively is the first step in this movement. Please take a moment to read the messages from our diverse community, then explore our collection of resources to learn about these issues for yourself. I encourage you to reflect on and discern how we can make, seek, and achieve justice together.
Nicki Gonzales, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion
Associate Professor of History, Regis College
Hear Prof. Gonzales discuss historic monuments on Colorado Public Radio
"A New Racial Profile," monotype/silkscreen by Professor Tony Ortega
Get Involved
Voices
Reflections and calls to action from Regis University students, faculty and staff.
Amadia Al-Amin: Feeling unsafe doing ordinary things
Asian Student Alliance: The model minority myth
Asian Student Alliance: We plead for recognition
Barbara J. Wilcots: Do you see me?
Black Student Alliance: Here we are again. And again. And again.
Christopher Pramuk: Elijah McClain, Pray for Us
Fr. Fernando Álvarez-Lara, S.J.: We are asking for breath
Message from then-President Fitzgibbons: Stand against anti-Asian hate
Message from then-President Fitzgibbons: Regis University stands with you
Nicki Gonzales: We can't afford to fail this time
Patrick I. Romero-Aldaz: As an institution, we must live our mission
Regis University Student Government Association (RUSGA): This racism did not begin with the virus
Regis University Student Government Association (RUSGA): Through dialogue we affect positive change
The Regis community, led by RUSGA officers, demonstrated for the Black Lives Matter movement at the Colorado statehouse in June. Then-President Rev. John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J., and other Jesuit priests joined the protest and led prayers. (Photos by Bear Gutierrez)
Elijah McClain, 25 February 1996 – 30 August 2019– posted by my friend, the artist and iconographer, William Hart McNichols. My own meditation on his painting follows.