TAMU Diversity

Texas A&M Anti-Racism Seminar

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Conferral Ceremony for the SGI-USA Medal of Justice to Professor JOE R. FEAGIN

Saturday, April 06, 2013

The Memorial Student Center, Texas A&M University

Joe R. Feagin, Ella C. McFadden Distinguished Professor in sociology at Texas A&M University, is a U.S. sociologist and social theorist who has conducted extensive research on the racial and gender issues, especially in regard to the United States. He is the recipient of a 2006 Harvard alumni association lifetime achievement award and the 2013 W. E. B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award of the American Sociological Association. He has written 61 scholarly books and 200+ scholarly articles in his research areas of sociology of racism and sexism and urban sociology. Feagin’s books include Systemic Racism (Routledge 2006); The White Racial Frame (2nd edition, Routledge 2013); and White Party, White Government (Routledge 2012). He was 1999-2000 president of the American Sociological Association.

"All human beings belong to a single species and share a common origin. They are born equal in dignity and rights and all form an integral part of humanity. All peoples of the world possess equal faculties for attaining the highest level in intellectual, technical, social, economic, cultural and political development."

                                                   UNESCO’s Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice

                                    Photo:sgi.org

 SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS

Samuel Cohn is a professor of sociology at Texas A&M University. He has written a prize-winning book on gender discrimination, another book on race and gender discrimination at work and a series of articles about racial unemployment gaps in American cities. He is the founder of the American Sociological Association Section on Development and the author of multiple works on employment and income in the developed and underdeveloped world. He has been a member of the Soka Gakkai for 25 years and he and Mary Mickens share responsibility for the Culture Department in Texas Oklahoma, a Buddhist organization to support academics, educators, healers and legal specialists.

H. Mustafaa Carroll is the Executive Director of the Houston Texas Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-TX, Houston), the United States largest Muslim grassroots civil rights and advocacy group with 35 offices nationwide and in Canada. He was appointed executive director in June/2007 – January/2009, and served as immediate past Board President until his arrival at the CAIR-TX, Houston office in June/2010.   He is a consummate community servant and strives to build blossoming relationships with ecumenical, community, and governmental leaders in efforts for all to work together for the common good. Mustafaa has 20+ years as a management consultant specializing in leadership, service, and diversity. He has shared his expertise nationally and internationally within a broad range of industries and professions to help develop effective leadership, and build strong working relationships. He may be the master of his own ship, but he continues to be a humble servant to his wife, and family.

José Angel Gutiérrez is an attorney and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington in the United States. He was a founding member of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in San Antonio in 1967, and a founding member and past president of the Raza Unida Party, a Mexican-American third party movement that supported candidates for elective office in Texas, California, and other areas of the Southwestern and Midwestern United States. Gutiérrez is a 1962 graduate of Crystal City High School in Crystal City, Texas and served in the U.S. Army. He has also earned degrees from Texas A&M University–Kingsville (B.A. 1966), St. Mary's University in San Antonio), the University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D. 1976) and the University of Houston Law Center (J.D. 1988). He has done postdoctoral work at Stanford University, Colegio de México, and University of Washington. He founded the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1994 and served as its Director until December 1996, at which time he became the Special Advisor to the President of the university until December 1998.

Rebecca Hankins is an associate professor, liaison and resource faculty member for the students in the Humanities and Social Sciences departments with a particular emphasis on African/African American Diaspora Studies and Middle Eastern Studies at Texas A&M University. She provides counseling for the integration of these materials into the university curriculum. She is a subject specialist for Africana Studies, Race and Ethnic studies, Arabic/Middle Eastern languages. Her interests of research are African Diaspora, Women Studies, Muslim and Islamic in science fiction, Middle Eastern Islamic studies, Diversity in academia.

Kelli Seals-Obazee serves as the Executive Director at the Dallas Peace Centre and Executive Committee Member with Reform Immigration Texas Alliance (RITA). She has worked with the Dallas Peace Center on various community awareness initiatives and direct actions since 2001. In 2009 Kelli served as a Board Member of the Dallas Peace Centre and Chair of the Communication and Visibility Team.

In addition, Kelli has had the privilege of serving as a Board Member for the League of Women Voters, Making Connections Inc., creating and serving as Chair of the Economic Empowerment Committee at the Potters House and starting her own non-profit organization called Innovative Social Solutions Inc.Concerned about the post 911 growing hostilities toward the Muslim community Kelli reached out to partner with Hadi Jawad and served as the Executive Producer of American Muslim Voices.

Mary S. Mickens is a 53 years old African American Women born and raised in a small East Texas Community. She currently lives in Texarkana Texas, USA. She studied Psychology and achieved a Masters in Counselling Psychology in 2002. She currently works in private practice as a Licensed Professional Counsellor and Certified Anger Resolution Therapist. She occasionally expand her experience into the academic arena as an Adjunct Instructor for Texas A&M University-Texarkana, teaching an Interpersonal Psychology course of “Intimate Relationships” and also Multicultural/Diversity classes as her services are needed.

Her most outstanding accomplishment came in 2002, when she was introduced to and joined the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), a lay Buddhist organization under the leadership of current President Daisaku Ikeda; based on Humanistic principles of 13th century Buddhist reformer, Nichiren Diashonin. She has proudly practiced for 10 years. She was attracted to the diversity and equality available within this faith-based society. SGI represents for her the philosophy and collective goal of the preservation of peace, culture and education; to basically realize world peace through each person becoming happy, thus ending human suffering. The practice of open and sincere dialog is consistent with her own life philosophy, both personal and career.

Vicki Gefen Mokuria was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia in a tight-knit Jewish community and attended Tufts University, where she studied sociology and English. She later attended The University of Texas at Dallas and earned a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. Vicki moved to Dallas in 1981 after living briefly in Santa Cruz, California. In Dallas, she met and married her husband, Tesfaie Mokuria, an immigrant from Ethiopia, who died eleven years later.  In the early 1980s, Vicki was introduced to Nichiren Buddhism and became an active member of the SGI; she currently serves as the Texas-Oklahoma Zone Women's Leader. For twenty-seven years, she taught high school sociology and psychology at Townview Magnet Center in Dallas, and she now works at the Jubilee Park and Community Center as the Program Director. Vicki is the mother of spirited young women, Sara, Aileen, and Cristina, and the proud grandmother of Amari.

Audrey McClure is a native of Glenmora, Louisiana and moved to Texas about 30 years ago.  She resides in Picton, TX on her farm with her husband of 36 years, David, where they raise goats and chickens. She has been an accomplished folklore story teller throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex for over 23 years. She most enjoys the connection she has with people when she tells her stories. Audrey also does culture performances during Black History Month at the Dallas County Juvenile Department and has also served for many years as a volunteer for “Back Home With The Folks Festivals.”

“I’ve been a member of SGI-USA for 39 years. Before I joined I had a tendency to judge other cultures. However, since joining this organization, I have learned through this organization that is all about working on yourself first, then getting to know others before judging them. I’ve had the opportunity to personally become involved and got to know others, and have learned that people are just people, no matter what culture they are… it’s about getting to know that person. I’m really proud to be a member of this organization.”

Cherry Steinwender (Executive Director) and Barbara Hacker (Emeritus Board) are founders of the Center for the Healing of Racism. They served as the first co-directors of the organization from 1992 to 1997. It was founded on the principle that racism is a disease that mars the unity of the human race and is a disease of ignorance that can be healed by education. 

At the heart of the Center's work is a program called Dialogue: Racism. The history and forms of racism in the United States are examined and participants are invited to share their personal experiences. A safe and respectful atmosphere is created which leads to a deep level of sharing and honesty between the diverse participants. For many this is a first experience of real communication with people of other ethnicities. Mrs. Steinwender and Ms. Hacker have facilitated Dialogue: Racism together in many settings both locally and throughout the country.

Additionally they have conducted smaller workshops for counselors, social workers, various municipal agencies, church groups and students from pre-school through university and faculty of all levels.  Increasingly, the Center is called upon for information and consultation with individuals, groups and visitors from other countries.

Natàlia Verjat born in Barcelona, Spain was raised bilingual and bicultural Spanish/French. While growing up, lived and traveled throughout Spain, France, Italy, Mexico and the United States. Has four children; Ian, Nadia, Alan and Mara. She enjoys reading, music, dance, art, traveling, photography, and learning with her students. She believes that education is the best gift we have to give to others.

She studied Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, 2002, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois, and Master of Arts in Hispanic Studies, 2005, Boston College, MA. Currently, she is Assistant Professor at Tarrant County Community and the advisor to OLAS (Organization for Latin American Students).

Edmundo Garcia has held numerous leadership positions and coordinating roles in union organizing, community, and university organizations as a Chicano student leader in San Diego, California. Currently he is a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at Texas A&M University.  Edmundo’s research interests include race and racism, the sociology of education, political sociology and social movements. More specifically, he is examining the role of race and racism in Latino/Chicano/a youth-led social movements. Edmundo’s research aims to provide a voice from historically excluded communities and to serve as a resource to the social justice and anti-racism movement.

Glenn Bracey is a doctoral candidate in sociology, specializing in race/ethnicity and social movements. His work reveals how institutions reproduce white supremacy and theorizes effective means of resistance.  Bracey employs his scholarship in praxis.  He has worked extensively with progressive social movements, including queer people of color organizations, labor union organizing, mentorship programs, and anti-racist groups. At Texas A&M University, he served on a committee to create a racial harassment statute and another to redesign the diversity component of New Student Conferences. 

Theepakorn Jithitikulchai, a peace activist, is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University.

"The dignity of life has no equivalent: nothing can be substituted for it. At present people demand a multitude of values; each person strives to develop his own value system. 

Though, because it may free the concept of value from such narrow confining frameworks as nationalism, this trend is welcome, it seems to me that, while admitting the merit of variety, we must also seek a view of value itself that can serve as a common foundation embracing many kinds of values. 

Without such a common foundation, human mutual trust and cooperation cannot come into being. In the final analysis, I believe that the worth of person and the dignity of life meet the requirements for this common foundation."

Daisaku Ikeda,

Choose Life: A Dialogue