OSUN, Hannah Arendt Center, and Center for Civic Engagement Present

Bloods, Crips, and Overcoming Tribalism in Los Angeles

A panel discussion with Phillip “Rock” Lester, Gilbert Johnson, Mandar Apte, and moderated by Niobe Way. Join Mandar Apte at 1:30pm after the panel discussion for a Peacebuilding Workshop, also in the Olin Hall Auditorium.

The Hannah Arendt Center's 16th annual fall conference will bring notable speakers to Bard College in Annandale to discuss the implications of tribalist politics just weeks before the national US election. On October 17 and 18, Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism: How Can We Imagine a Pluralistic Politics will spark important conversations about the undeniable fact that tribalism is real, appealing, and dangerous, and explore how to make space for loyalty and meaning while fostering a more pluralistic politics. 

Learn more about the conference and register (Bard students, faculty, and staff attend free) at hac.bard.edu/tribalism-2024.

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Participants:

Phillip "Rock" Lester is a community activist, survivor, business owner and formerly incarcerated person. He grew up in South Central Los Angeles within the Harvard Park area. In 2016, Phillip became involved with policy reform, working with organizations such as ARC and LA Voice and Youth Justice Coalition. He has been active in multiple civic engagement campaigns, helping to advocate for resources within LA county, notably, Measure J as well as criminal justice reform policies in California such as Prop. 57, Prop. 17, SB 1308, SB 1391, SB 1437 and SB 731. Phillip has an educational background in mathematics, sociology and art. He was honored and awarded in the Fall of 2021 with a Certificate of Appreciation by Arizona State University educators for his role in developing its ‘Future ID’ program, an on-campus course that demonstrates the impact of system-impacted people having a future vision for success.

Gilbert Johnson is a native of South Central LA and a dedicated community organizer. He was introduced to civic engagement work in 2009, which marked the last year he was incarcerated. Having to navigate homelessness, gang involvement, substance abuse, and finding it hard to gain sustainable employment, working several odd jobs due to his lengthy criminal record, Gilbert’s prayers were answered when he received the opportunity to be an Outreach Worker and Civic Engagement Specialist at Community Coalition (CoCo), located in the heart of South Central. After years of deep community engagement and peacebuilding work, Gilbert became the Lead Justice Organizer, leading CoCo's criminal justice reform and reentry work. While at CoCo, Gilbert drafted the 10-Point Plan to Reduce Violence in South Central after his friend, the late Ermias Asghedom, also known as Nipsey Hussle, passed away in 2019. This community-driven initiative morphed into the City of Los Angeles' current South LA Community Safety Initiative (SLACSI). The SLACSI helped reduce violent crime during the summer by implementing healing-centered activities in communities and parks across South Los Angeles. Gilbert left CoCo to become the CA TimeDone Manager with Californians for Safety and Justice, helping to pass multiple state-level justice reform bills. Gilbert is a member of the Black Men Maroon Space, a group of formerly incarcerated Black men who engage in somatic transformative practices that unpack and address deep traumatic experiences.

Mandar Apte manages Cities4Peace, a nonprofit peacebuilding consultancy of the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) that promotes peace in cities and communities across the world worldwide. His pioneering efforts in collaboration with Los Angeles PD to reduce gang violence and with UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus to enable harmonious coexistence between Turkish and Greek Cypriots are noteworthy. Based on the impact made, Mandar has recently been appointed by the UN Peacebuilding Office as an advisor to the special UN project on "Private Sector Investments for Youth-Led Peacebuilding". As part of this mandate, Mandar is engaging the private sector and educational institutions through his thought leadership. 

Dr. Niobe Way is Professor of Developmental Psychology and the founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity at New York University (PACH). She is also past President of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) and co-director of the Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education at NYU. Her work focuses on the intersections of culture, context, and human development, with a particular focus on social and emotional development and how cultural ideologies influence developmental trajectories. Dr. Way has authored nearly a hundred journal articles and books, including Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection (Harvard University Press) and Everyday Courage: The Lives and Stories of Urban Teenagers (NYU Press). Her newest book for Dutton press (a division of Penguin/Random House) is Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves, and Our Culture.

For more information, call 845-758-6822.

Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT/GMT-4

Location: Olin Hall

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