Video Highlights “From the Frontlines of Justice”

We are pleased to share a highlight video from our event “From the Frontlines of Justice” that took place on January 18, 2017 at UCLA’s Ackerman Grand Ballroom.

On the evening of #J18, we gathered at UCLA to celebrate ongoing struggles for social justice and to affirm their urgent relevance in the face of this current national and global moment. Let it be known that, as a place of teaching and learning, we did not bear silent witness to the politics of hate and fear, that we stood up to proclaim the power of knowledge on the frontlines of justice.

To inspire and guide us, we had the following speakers and artists:

Patrisse Cullors,

Co-Founder of #BLACKLIVESMATTER, Founder & Board Member of Dignity and Power Now, UCLA Alumna

Jeff Chang,

Author of We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation and Executive Director, the Institute for Diversity in the Arts, Stanford University

Erika L. Sánchez,

Author of poetry collection Lessons on Expulsion and the novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Peter Sellars,

Distinguished professor in World Arts and Cultures/Dance, UCLA; opera, theater and festival director

Ilse Escobar,

Migrant, muxer, and activist born in Mexico and organizer in Los Angeles

Bryonn Bain,

Artist/activist, prison abolitionist professor developing UCLA’s prison education program, creator of Lyrics From Lockdown

Maya Jupiter,

Hip-hop artist, songwriter, co-founder of Artivist Entertainment

Printable Flyer

About #J18

January 18, 2017, was a day to Teach, Organize, Resist. Transform classrooms and commons into spaces of education that protest policies of violence, disenfranchisement, segregation, and isolationism. Use the power of knowledge to challenge inequality and to build alliances for social justice. #J18 was a day of actions, ideas, dreams, dialogues, performances, alliances, plans, marches, and assemblies created by many in a multitude of spaces and places

#J18 was a call issued by departments, centers, and collectives at UCLA, including The UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy, RAVE or Resistance Against Violence through Education, African-American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Institute of American Cultures, Justice Work Group, LGBTQ Studies, UCLA Labor Center, and The Undercommons.