Rochester Chapter

A conference organized by the Rochester Chapter of Social Welfare Action Alliance

***RESERVATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 11TH***

It's time to end economic injustice and be clear about its connections to violence in our community!

This gathering will bring together a wide range of people who are committed to the cause of economic human rights: dedicated human service workers, ground-breaking scholars, influential activists, leaders of advocacy groups, leaders of labor and faith based communities, and local people who are victimized by lay-offs, welfare sanctions and unacceptable levels of income support. We'll talk about welfare reform, globalization and strategies to fight back against current oppressive domestic policies. We'll share stories about successful organizing efforts. We'll work together to generate new ideas to get more people involved. Most importantly, we'll build a local network of people willing to fight for everyone's human and economic rights, and work to confront the roots of violence and crime that are taking a heavy toll on Rochester. By breaking our isolation and engaging in dialogue, we will be able to speak out in a unified voice against economic injustice. We will also play a role in building a mass movement to end poverty and stop the violence.

October 17, 2008 from 8:00 to 5:15

***RESERVATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 11TH***

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 141 Adams St. Rochester, NY 14608

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Featuring Keynotes Diane Dujon and Ann Withorn
"Poverty Thrives....How People Survive"

Lunch time address given by Elijah Anderson:
"Against the Wall: Poor, Young, Black and Male"

Workshops

Workshop 1: Human Service Work and Social Action
Workshop 2: From the Ground Up: Tactics for Community Action
Workshop 3: Violence: Is Zero Tolerance Enough?
Workshop 4: School, Work, Home: Where Does Poverty Begin and End?

The day will end by: "Putting Poverty on trial" A Truth Commission on Poverty and Violence Testimony from local individuals who have experienced or witnessed economic human rights violations will testify to Human Rights Commissioners who will then summarize their assessment of these abuses and what can be done in our area to address them.

To register, download our printable brochure and send a $20 check to SWAA Rochester, P.O. Box 17323 Rochester, NY 14617

Every registration includes lunch.
Low income scholarships and childcare are available.

Email: info@swaarochester.org or call 395-5509

Sponsoring organizations thus far:

• College at Brockport Department of Social Work, College at Brockport Women's

• St. John Fisher College

• Center, Rochester Institute of Technology

• Greater Rochester Collaborative-MSW Program

• EMPOWER Welfare Rights, House of Mercy

• Rochester Chapter of the National Organization for Women

• Spiritus Christi Church

• Let Justice Roll

• Greater Rochester Community of Churches' Minister

• First Universalist Church of Rochester

• Interfaith Alliance of Rochester

Speakers Bios:

Elijah Anderson: William K. Lanman Professor of Sociology at Yale University, is the author of the classic "A Place on the Corner: A Study of Black Street Corner Men" and many other articles and books. He has appeared on the News hour with Jim Lehrer. Professor Anderson has taught as a Visiting Professor at Swarthmore College, Princeton University, and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France. An officer in numerous scholarly associations, he has served as a panelist and consultant to the White House, the United States Congress, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Science Foundation. He was a member of the National Research Council's Panel on the Understanding and Control of Violent Behavior. In 2006 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Northwestern University.

Fred Newdom, ACSW: President of ProAct, an Albany, NY based consulting firm specializing in advocacy and organizational development services. He has done extensive training on advocacy and legislative skills and has provided political campaign training to activists from around NY State. Recent work includes lobbying on behalf of New York's WIC Program, helping coordinate AIDS Awareness Day for the NY AIDS Coalition, coordinating a statewide outreach campaign to make working families aware of tax credits and programs that can help meet their basic needs, and facilitation and training for groups like the NYS Black Gay Network, and the National Council for Independent Living. In addition, he teaches courses in social policy and practice at the Smith College School for Social Work, and at the SUNY/Albany School of Social Welfare and is co-author of Clinical Work and Social Action: An Integrative Approach (Haworth Press).

Diane Dujon: former welfare recipient and has been in the front lines of the welfare struggle for more than 20 years. Currently she works as an educator at the U of M Boston's College of Public and Community Service, having earned an M.S. in 1996. She is a well known writer and speaker and an active participant in Working Mass (a coalition of labor groups, the faith community, academics, community organizations, welfare rights and low income groups) "fighting for the rights of all workers."

Ann Withorn, Ph.D: teaches undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. courses about social policy, social movements, women's and welfare rights issues at the University of Massachusetts. She is actively involved in research, writing, and advocacy around poverty and social policy issues. Her publications include: Lost Ground: Reforming Welfare, Redefining Poverty, co-edited with Randy Albelda and Barbara Ehrenreich; Serving the People; and For Crying Out Loud: Women's Poverty in the United States, co-edited with Diane Dujon.