COD History
Conference on Democracy at Marin Academy turns eighteen this year. Over 250 speakers have participated in the Conference and Speaker Series, and in 2006 the Conference on Democracy earned recognition for Marin Academy from the National Association of Independent Schools as one of 12 Leading Edge schools nationwide. Citing excellence in independent education in the category of Equity and Justice, the Leading Edge Award distinguishes the conference as a model that can be adapted and customized by other schools to build successful and sustainable learning environments.
Marin Academy faculty and students are taking an expanded role in the Conference on Democracy to explore local, national, and global issues as part of our school’s quest to examine what it means to prepare for life and responsibility as citizens in our increasingly global society. The conference sessions are designed and facilitated jointly by MA students and faculty in partnership with local and national experts, activists and stakeholders.
Highlights From 2021
2021 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dolores Huerta
Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United Farm Workers (UFW). Huerta has received numerous awards for her community service and advocacy for workers', immigrants', and women's rights, including the Eugene V. Debs Foundation Outstanding American Award, the United States Presidential Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was the first Latina inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, in 1993.
Mohammed Soriano-Bilal
Mohammed Soriano-Bilal is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consultant who explores the convergence of the issues of race, gender, religion, and education in society through different artistic mediums. He is an award winning film and music producer and poet. Mohammed currently serves as the Associate Dean and Director of the Office for Inclusion, Belonging and Intergroup Communication at Stanford University.
Mayor Kate Colin
Kate Colin is the first female to hold the office of Mayor since the city was incorporated in 1847. She joined the San Rafael City Council in January 2013 and was a Planning Commissioner for nearly 8 years before that. She has lived in the Sun Valley neighborhood since 1996 with her husband Jeff where they raised their two children, both of whom attended Marin Academy (Jessie '14 and Jared '16). They moved to San Rafael for its diversity of people, wonderful neighborhoods and beautiful open space.
Kate’s goals for the City include focusing on four key policy areas for 2021 – recovering from the economic impact of Covid-19, homelessness/housing, sustainability (focusing on wildfire prevention and sea level rise) and racial justice. She strongly believes in working with the community to find solutions that reflect our community values as well as partnerships with local residents, businesses and neighborhoods to make San Rafael the best it can be.
PAST SESSIONS
Vulnerable Populations During the COVID Pandemic: A Panel Discussion
Session lead by Various Non-Profit Leaders
COVID-19 has had a profound impact on our sense of community, economy, access to social services and more. Listen to and learn from the first-hand experiences of non-profit community leaders about how this pandemic has disproportionately affected those with less resources. What are the challenges and successes they've encountered in attempting to support the most vulnerable populations? Join Community Action students for a panel discussion with non-profit community leaders Erica Kisch (CFO of Compass Family Services in SF), Margot Reisner (Insight Garden Program at San Quentin prison), and Zoë Neil (Project Manager for the San Rafael Downtown Streets Team) and Margolit Sands (Youth First Coordinator for Jewish Family & Children's Services).
“We Are Everywhere”
Panel lead by Matthew Riemer and the leaders of Queer Affinity
In this COD session Matthew Riemer, co-author of We Are Everywhere and manager/founder of the @lgbt_history account on Instagram, and the leaders of Queer Affinity discuss his book, the importance of queer representation in history and most importantly in high school history education.
Dialogue Across Difference: How Oral histories change the world
Session lead by Wilks T & Robert Awkward
Oral History (noun): the collection and study of historical information using sound recordings of interviews with people having personal knowledge of past events. This session will investigate the origins of oral histories and how they can be used in the world today to address cultural issues. Sponsored by the Dialogue Across Difference Group from MA, this session will be an opportunity for you to get to know your MA community just a little bit better.
An afternoon with Christina HAMMONDS REED, NYT Bestselling author of the The Black Kids
Panel lead by Christina Hammonds Reed
Join Christina Hammonds Reed, author of The Black Kids, the New York Times bestselling debut novel and coming-of-age story of a privileged Black teenager, Ashley Bennett, set against the backdrop of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. As Los Angeles goes up in flames, the novel follows Ashley’s attempts to soldier on as if life were normal while grappling with her self-destructive sister, her crumbling family, toxic friendships, and a life-changing rumor. With the city around her facing its own moment of reckoning, Ashley is forced to question what it means to be a good person, friend, sister, and what it truly means to be one of “the black kids”.
Reed’s writing initiates timely conversations for us to have around race, gender, class, violence, mental health, and more. In an engaging and candid way, they will touch upon these pertinent topics—offering an open and safe space for discussion on the most important issues facing our society.
"COD exposed me to different perspectives on big concepts we had addressed in class. Often, it also introduced me to entirely new discourses. For instance, during my sophomore year at MA the keynote speaker gave a speech about implicit bias. At the time I knew nothing about the topic so his speech was incredibly impactful for me and I bring up certain points he made in my classes and conversations."
-Andrea Muñoz Ledo, Class of 2018
For more information on the 2021 Conference on Democracy, visit last years website linked HERE