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Grounded in social and environmental justice and human rights, the Fall World Issues Forum lecture series, organized by Western Washington University’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, will focus on topics such as water rights,��humane borders, equitable economics, and the voices of��marginalized people.

The following forums, now in their 14^th year, are free and open to the campus community and general public. The forums are held from noon to 1:20 p.m. every Wednesday in the Fairhaven Auditorium, unless otherwise noted below.

Wednesday, Sept. 30

“Seeds of Life, Seeds of Change: Visionary Practices of��Maya Women”

Presenter: Norma Maldonado, founder of��Asociacion Raxch' och Oxlaju Aj, an organization of 12 Mayan communities in Northern Guatemala.

Topic: Amid megaprojects, extractive industries, introduction of commercial and transgenic seeds, and corporatization of intellectual property rights, the viability and health of rural peoples of the world are under increasing threat. Indigenous communities and women are especially affected by lack of access to natural resources, education, and opportunities to participate in decisions affecting their families and communities. ��Maya women of Rabinal, Guatemala, are developing��far-sighted strategies to counter such adversities��through planting native seeds, using native foods as sustenance and in ceremony, and incorporating nutritional and wellbeing monitoring��as intrinsic��elements of a��healthy environment for their children. ��Their��work is focused on��re-aligning��priorities along principles of equality, democracy, and sustainability.��

Wednesday, Oct. 7��

“The State of Hate: The Threat of White Nationalism in a ‘Post-Racial’ America”

Presenter: Devin Burghart, vice president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights (IREHR)

Topic: The horrific massacre in Charleston, South Carolina was the most recent in a long list of white nationalist atrocities. From the murders at a Jewish community center in Kansas City and the shootings at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee, to a multi-state murder spree that began in Washington, this tragic list continues to grow. Beyond the murders, white nationalists have targeted human rights activists, from disrupting #Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Olympia to attacking Confederate flag opponents in Birmingham. At the same time, white nationalism is changing and looking for new ways to enter the mainstream. Find out all about the state of hate in an eye-opening talk that goes inside the white nationalist movement.

Wednesday, Oct. 14

“Intergenerational Experiences in Aboriginal Education: My Family”

Presenter: Dr. Gwen Point, chancellor, University of the Fraser Valley

Topic: This session will address the intergenerational impact of the Canadian government’s aboriginal-education policies from the 1930s to the mid-2000s on one family – the presenter’s. An exploration of the connections between the federal government’s education policies and the personal education stories of the family spanning three generations reveals not only the challenges aboriginal students faced in general, but the way indigenous philosophies informed larger strategic and smaller tactical strategies of resistance. Through story work this family not only found strength to resist, but opportunities to try and transform the education system itself. As the intergenerational narratives reveal, the family’s objectives ranged from protecting the traditional and the sacred to developing strategies to improve their chances of succeeding within the government system.�� This topic is co-sponsored by Western’s Department of Canadian-American Studies.

Wednesday, Oct. 21����

“An Altar Boy with a Gun"��

Presenter: Raul Diaz, social worker with Homeboy Industries of Los Angeles, California

Topic: Raul Diaz is a social worker at Homeboy Industries, a center where formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women redirect their lives. Raul has guided many of the 10,000 former gang members from across Los Angeles who come through Homeboy Industries’ doors each year into becoming contributing members of the community. He was profiled by author Courtney E. Martin in the book��Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists. He is also a runner, hiker, baseball fan, father, and proud native son of Boyle Heights. This topic is co-sponsored by Western Reads.

Wednesday, Oct. 28

“Economy in Crisis: Fantasies, Realities, Possibilities”

Presenter: Richard Wolff, professor of Economics emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a visiting professor at the New School for Social Research in New York City.��

Topic: Our economy's crises since 2008 continue. Millions face ever deeper income and wealth inequalities, ecological dangers, politics corrupted by money. This country’s citizens are living through the worst economic decline since capitalism's great 1930s depression, and the reforms enacted then failed to prevent today's crises. A real solution requires more than reforms. The country must change how it organizes its enterprises such as offices, factories, and stores. It can run them democratically, not��dependent on state subsidies, taxbreaks and loopholes.��Each employee can have an equal vote on what the enterprise does, how, and where, and what is done with the profits all help to produce. As Prof. Wolff will explain, democratic enterprises - long overdue but already visible in worker cooperatives across the country - offer our best way out of today's economic crises.��

Wednesday, Nov. 4

“Maíz y el País: Political Violence in Mexico and Corn's Lessons for Justice"

Presenter: Luz Rivera�� Martinez of the Consejo National Urbano Campesino (CNUC), the National Urban and Peasant Council

Topic: Headlines about Mexico in the mainstream media are bleak. The unresolved disappearance of 43 students in the state of Guerrero, the attacks on the Zapatistas, the imprisonment of indigenous leaders defending water, and the cover-ups of military executions all point to a rise in extra-judicial violence. While all this causes concern, there is also much we can learn from inspiring Mexican social movements. Luz Rivera will speak about state-sponsored political violence in Mexico and how corn is a symbol for autonomy and the dignified struggle for a better world. Her talk will have important lessons for anyone interested in human rights, and the women's, peasant, and labor movements in Mexico and elsewhere. This topic is co-sponsored by the Mexican Solidarity Movement and the �������� Diversity Fund.

Monday, Nov. 9���� (Note this is on a MONDAY due to Veterans’ Day)

“Stories from Downwind: The Power of People’s History”

Presenter: Sarah Alizabeth Fox, author and folk historian

Topic: Drawing on citizen narratives, archival records, and epidemiological studies, author and folk historian Sarah Fox will discuss the environmental and health impacts of Cold War uranium extraction and nuclear-weapons testing. Her talk will explore how ordinary people’s stories can animate and energize movements for environmental and social justice,��particularly as the country grapples with unfolding crises like Hanford, Fukushima, and the Animas River contamination.

Wednesday, Nov. 18

“Cotton from India, Coffee from Colombia, Soy from Brazil: Understanding the Globalization of Water”

Presenter: Ruth Matthews, Executive Director of Water Footprint Network

Topic: We face ever-increasing concerns about food security, climate change, disparity between rich and poor and our ability to meet the needs of a global population exceeding 9 billion. With more than 3 billion people living with water scarcity, degraded water quality impinging on people’s access to clean drinking water and over 90 percent of the world’s water consumption going to agriculture, the way we use water is a central concern for sustainable development. Understanding our water footprint, where it lands and whether it is sustainable, efficient and equitable is key to our becoming responsible global citizens. Looking forward to a future where clean, fresh water is shared fairly within nature’s limits requires us to face tough questions, consider tradeoffs and take action now.

For more information on the World Issues Forum presented by Western’s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, contact Shirley Osterhaus at (360)-650-2309 or visit the World Issues Forum Website at .

��������'s Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, established in 1967, is nationally recognized for innovation in teaching and ��learning, intensive advising, student-designed majors, narrative assessment, experiential and independent learning and a commitment to social justice.