Who would have the audacity to hang a noose over a professor's door? How did this violent symbold make a cameo on our campus? It's not so far fetched if you consider Columbia University's plan to displace 500 black and Latino people from their homes in West Harlem. The university denies resources to programs such as Ethnic Studies that teach the histories of the very people who will lose their homes. What kind of place facilitates a lynch symbol? Columbia University does.

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Last week, SPEaK met to discuss the Manhattanville expansion issue as tied to Ethnic Studies and the recent hate crimes on campus. After hours of brutal planning, a "Workshop on Campus Climate" became a reality:

A workshop this Wednesday, October 17th @ 9pm in the Bway Sky Lounge to address the how-tos of resolving the issues concerning marginalized students on this campus. The workshop is designed to help move a critical mass of concerned students towards praxis by rethinking the interconnectedness of our struggles. (trans: get our behinds educated and organized)

OK, more like the Chinatown bus.

Most of the Blaaag staff (though Mar and David are the only consistent Blaaagers...*is ashamed*) will be in Boston this weekend for Boston BASIC. In fact, Christina and Ryan are holding their own NAASCon workshop on Asian American Studies!

Hopefully, when we return, Columbia will still be here.

This Friday on October 5th, Carmen Van Kerckhove, CC '99, of New Demographic will conduct a workshop for Columbia's Center for Career Education on racial stereotypes in the workplace.

"Racial stereotypes impact our perceptions of and interactions with others and are often at the root of workplace diversity issues. This seminar examines the most common racial stereotypes—both negative and positive—and demonstrates how these widespread ideas can manifest themselves in the workplace. Building consciousness around these stereotypes will help your employees to proactively examine and improve their interpersonal interactions within the company, as well as with external clients."

So The Blaaag, as tremendous fans of Carmen (she was the keynote speaker for the 1st Annual New York City Asian American Student Conference in which AAA took part spring this year) is telling you to do the following things:

1. Register for the event online here.
   
2. Join the Facebook event.
3. Email Carmen at carmen@newdemographic.com if there are any specific questions or issues you would like addressed.
4. Come on Friday. The workshop will be from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Broadway Room of Lerner Hall.

Carmen is the president and co-founder of New Demographic, an anti-racism training company. She also writes for four (4!) of her own blogs: Addicted to Race, Racialicious, Anti-Racist Parent, and Race in the Workplace.