November 2010
Our two presentations at UC-San Francisco in November 2010 were sponsored by the UCSF Center for Gender Equity. Incoming students in the health professions were required to attend 2 out of 4 possible educational events, and the MSP was one of these options.
Topics addressed included platonic friendship between men; impacts of homophobia for straight men; acculturation, identity and belonging; dealing with gendered expectations in a Mexican immigrant community and in a public school context; transgender identity; intersections of race, disability and sexuality; testicular cancer and wholeness; images of African American masculinity; interracial marriage and challenging a father’s racism; healing from witnessing and perpetrating domestic violence; healing from childhood sexual abuse; healing from sexual assault in high school; creation of a historic gang truce; forgiveness; family relationships; and gratitude to friends and mentors.
Presenters included Aqeela Sherrills, a well-known activist who facilitated a historic 1992 truce between the Crips and Bloods in Watts, CA. He spoke about this experience, as well as his journey in forgiving the man who murdered his teenage son. Joshua Safran, Esq. spoke about witnessing domestic violence as a child, and then serving as an attorney for Debbie Peagler, who was incarcerated for 27 years for contributing to the death of her batterer (see CrimeAfterCrime.com).
Mack Dennis, a member of the Black Panther Party, shared his experience of unlearning homophobia in adulthood. Other presenters were Leroy Moore (Sins Invalid); Galen Peterson (United Roots), Antoine Hunter (Urban Jazz Dance Company), Nico Dacumos, Jeff Pollett, Yosimar Reyes, Jake Tobias; and Ekahbumi Ellik, Matt Blesse, Jason Bayani and Patrick Ohslund (Berkeley & Oakland slam poetry teams).
A portion of proceeds went to Bay Area Women Against Rape.
October 2008
Our second presentation took place on 10/15/08 at UC-San Francisco. It was fabulous – thanks again to all who came out! The event was sponsored by the UCSF Center for Gender Equity as well as Office of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity & Diversity, Office of Student Life, Student Health Center, UCSF Police Department, Diversity Celebration Committee, LGBT Resource Center, Medical Student Well-Being Program, and Arts & Events. Door donations went to SF Women Against Rape (www.sfwar.org), which works with people of all genders to prevent & respond to sexual assault.
Presenters: Juan Cuba (SF Women Against Rape), Kenny Johnson (This Sacred Space), Michael Katz, L. Abdul-Kenyatta, Galen Peterson (Art in Action); Jeff Pollett, Rashad Pridgen (a.k.a. Soul Nubian), Amir Rabiyah, Matt Singh, Jake Tobias; Abe Becker, Matt Blesse, Charles Ekabhumi Ellik, Stephen Meads, Jorge Vargas (Berkeley & Oakland slam poetry championship teams).