By Lookout Staff
August 29, 2017 -- Film screenings, panel discussions and a presentation by a former juvenile delinquent-turned-attorney will be part of Santa Monica College's (SMC) new Social Justice Lecture Series this fall, school officials announced this week.
The series will "explore the concept of social justice and a variety of aspects, issues, and developments affecting and shaping it in today’s world," officials said.
The free series, which is co-sponsored by the SMC Associates, will be held in Humanities & Social Sciences Lecture Hall 165 on the Santa Monica College main campus, 1900 Pico Boulevard. Seating is strictly on a first-arrival basis; the events all start at 11:15 a.m.
The series kicks off Tuesday September 5 with a presentation by juvenile justice attorney Frankie Guzman titled “From Breaking Laws to Making Laws: Insights from a Former ‘Juvenile Delinquent,’ Now a Juvenile Justice Attorney.”
Guzman, who works for the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland, is dedicated to reducing the prosecution and incarceration of children in California’s adult criminal justice system and "advocating for alternative sentencing and local treatment," officials said.
Considered an expert in juvenile law and policy, Guzman has co-authored numerous juvenile justice laws, including California’s Proposition 57 approved last year, which increases the chances of parole for felons convicted of nonviolent crimes.
The presentation, which is co-sponsored by SMC Law Pathways.
The series continues on Thursday, September 21, with a film screening of the documentary “Approaches to Alleviating Homelessness,” followed by a panel discussion.
"The program also launches a clothing drive to assist homeless individuals, veterans, and a battered women’s shelter," event organizers said.
The event is co-sponsored by the SMC African American Collegiate Center and SMC English Department.
The series concludes Thursday, October 12, with a screening and discussion of Cornell University Professor Bruce Levitt's award-winning documentary “Human Again.”
The critically praised film "tells the story of a group of Auburn Correctional Facility inmates who have turned to theater as a way to become 'a community of transformation,'” event organizers said.
A Q&A with the filmmaker, who was the acting group’s facilitator, follows the screening.
The event is co-sponsored by the SMC English Department, SMC Black Collegians, SMC Adelante Program and SMC Film Studies Program.
For more information, call (310) 434-4100.
