VANCOUVER, Wash. – Washington State University Vancouver Native American Programs and Collective for Social and Environment Justice invite the public to attend a three-day conference entitled, SJCon: Health and Environmental Justice: Constructing Coalitions at the Intersections of Extraction, Militarism, and Climate Collapse. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 19 and 20, and from 3:30 to 8 p.m. April 21. Most content will be presented on Zoom with some in-person sessions as noted on the conference agenda.
"At this conference we will examine the very real human and climate impacts of U.S. militarism and settler colonialism playing out in the U.S. and globally, and consider pragmatic pathways to transforming the permanent war economy in the U.S.—and the carbon-intensive corporate food system—into an economy that works for all," said Desiree Hellegers, professor of English and director of the Collective for Social and Environmental Justice.
The free conference features a variety of keynote speakers and breakout sessions. The detailed agenda and registration link can be found on the conference website: labs.wsu.edu/thethingreenlineispeople/announcing-the-5th-annual-sjcon/
At the end of day one, attendees are invited to an Indigenous Garden Dedication from 5:15 to 7 p.m. in the field adjacent to the Clark College Building on the WSU Vancouver campus. The event will feature Indigenous drumming and refreshments, and will be followed by a 30-minute talk by Celilo Wy'am activist Lana Jack on her experience as a water protector at Standing Rock.
The fifth annual SJCon will wrap up with an Evening with Activist Women in Film: The Fight for a Livable Planet from 3:30 to 8 p.m. April 21 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4505 E. 18th Street, Vancouver, WA 98661. The event will feature films by Misty Grace, Jan Haaken and Heidi Hutner. All three filmmakers will be on hand to speak about their work. Donations will be accepted at the door, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. All proceeds will help fund a student organizer for the Collective for Social and Environmental Justice.
Questions about SJCon: Health and Environmental Justice: Constructing Coalitions at the Intersections of Extraction, Militarism, and Climate Collapse may be directed to julian.ankney@wsu.edu or desiree.hellegers@wsu.edu.
About WSU Vancouver
WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave. in Vancouver, east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-TRAN bus service. Find a campus map at vancouver.wsu.edu/map. Parking is available at meters and in the Blue Daily Pay lot for $4 a day, $2 after 5 p.m. and free after 7 p.m. and on weekends.
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
WSU Vancouver is located on the homelands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Peoples of the Lower Columbia Valley. We acknowledge their presence here. WSU Vancouver expresses its respect towards these original and current caretakers of the region. We pledge that these relationships will be built on mutual trust and respect.
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