Mara Sapon-Shevin at ArtRage

October 6, 2016 - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

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Mara Sapon-Shevin – Professor of Inclusive Education,
Peace Activist, Writer, Singer, Dancer, Quilter: b. 1951
“The lessons we teach our students – whether overtly and intentionally
or mindlessly
and inadvertently — are what will shape the world…
Our goal cannot be to mirror the injustice and inequities
of the broader society (and the world) but rather to
provide students with the skills, attitudes, and confidence
they need in order to actively transform the world.”

As part of the continuing speaker series for the ArtRage exhibition of Robert Shetterly’s Americans Who Tell The Truth portraits, we will host a talk by Mara Sapon-Shevin titled, What do you say? Challenging people of all ages to confront oppression. Many of us hear comments and remarks that strike us as racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. but struggle to find the words to confront such behavior. Join us for a lively exploration of the challenges of responding to oppressive language and behavior.

Mara is a professor of education at Syracuse University. She teaches, writes, and lectures all over the world on the value of inclusive education, not just as a way to help students learn, but as a tool for building strong communities and promoting social justice.

What makes Sapon-Shevin’s work particularly valuable is that it travels beyond the K-12 classroom and into the world. Inclusive education is not just about making education a better experience for students; it is about making those students peaceful, kind citizens of the world. “I have a deep commitment to a vision of the world as a cooperative, peaceful and just place. I reject violence and war as solutions and I believe that we cannot have peace until we also have justice. My work with adults — teaching them to stand up to oppression — is just like my work with young people around issues of bullying. It’s all part of the same commitment — to a world in which people can live together in loving community, working together to make the world better.”

Free to the Public

Read more about Mara Sapon-Shevin at Americans Who Tell the Truth.