(Artist-activist Chisao Hata, Justice Adrienne Nelson | Photos Courtesy of Central Oregon Community College)
The first African American on the Oregon Supreme Court is one of two featured guest speakers for Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) 2020 Season of Nonviolence as it moves into its March programming. The other presenter is an artist who uses art to spark community activism. The events are free and open to the public, though attendees are encouraged to RSVP at cocc.edu/departments/foundation/vsp/. The national Season of Nonviolence honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahātmā Gandhi and others who believed in nonviolent efforts to advocate for human rights.
Justice Adrienne Nelson will speak about her life experiences at 6pm on Tuesday, March 3, at the Bend campus’s Wille Hall and at 9am on Wednesday, March 4, at the Redmond campus’s Technology Education Center, Room 209. She’ll share elements of her life story, from being the first person of color selected as valedictorian at her Arkansas high school to serving as the first African American on the Oregon Supreme Court.
Nelson was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court in 2018. She is a frequent speaker on topics of diversity, inclusion, equity, leadership and professional development. She sits on the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Public Education and is the Oregon delegate to the ABA House of Delegates.
Artist-activist Chisao Hata will facilitate a conversation about connection and community at 6pm on Monday, March 9, at the Redmond campus’s Technology Education Center, Room 209 and at 5:30pm on Tuesday, March 10, at the COCC Crook County Open Campus in Prineville.
Hata is an artist-educator, community activist and performing artist. For over two decades, she has been a champion of individual expression and using art as a community builder, serving hundreds of Portland’s children, youth and adults across many communities.
For more information on these events, contact Charlotte Gilbride, coordinator for the COCC Foundation’s Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program, at 541-383-7257 or cgilbride@cocc.edu.
The 2020 Season of Nonviolence Program is co-organized by the Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program and COCC’s Diversity and Inclusion office, with sponsorship support from The Oregon Community Foundation, St. Charles Health System, Cascades Academy of Central Oregon, Oregon Humanities and Fairfield Inn by Marriott. In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability, contact Joe Viola at 541-383-7775. For accommodation because of other disability such as hearing impairment, contact Disability Services at 541-383-7583.
