Social Justice Retreat
The Social Justice retreat was planned and hosted by student activists from the HMoob American Studies Committee (HMASC) as a means to focus on the development of HMoob studies in higher education. More specifically, the team wanted to bring in HMoob college students from all over the UW System to discuss HMoob studies and the importance of it to our HMoob identity as well as steps to take to build a critical HMoob studies program at our respective campuses.
The goals of the retreat were to:
- Learn from each other about HMoob studies
- Learn about strategies to establish HMoob studies programs through advocacy
- Build community
- Learn about the conditions and/or experiences of HMoob students on campus colleges
In addition to HMoob college students, HMoob studies scholars, activists, and allies were also invited and present at the retreat so that we could learn from each other and form a collective community with various expertise in advocacy and HMoob studies.
The HMASC Social Justice Retreat aims to share and explore HMoob studies within the Madison area, Wisconsin, and the broader HMoob community. This is a two-day event that hopes to identify and develop specific cultural, institutional, and social nodes that are imperative for HMoob studies and HMoob community growth as a whole.
Day 1 consisted of a guest speaker, Dr. Ma Vang, and workshops celebrating the arts and knowledge of HMoob folks.
Day 2 consisted of educational workshops on queerness, mental health, HMoob studies, and preliminary findings from the College Paj Ntaub project.