Chancellor, University of California—Berkeley, California

Robert J. Birgeneau became the ninth chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, on Sept. 22, 2004. An internationally distinguished physicist, he is a leader in higher education and is well known for his commitment to diversity and equity in the academic community. Before coming to Berkeley, Birgeneau served four years as President of the University of Toronto. He previously was dean of the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he spent 25 years on the faculty. He is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences, has received many awards for teaching and research, and is one of the most cited physicists in the world for his work on the fundamental properties of materials. March 18, 2006, Birgeneau received a special Founders Award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. President John Hennessy of Stanford University, and filmmaker George Lucas also received the Founders award the same date. Established in the 225th anniversary year of the Academy, this award honors men, women and institutions that have advanced the ideals and embody the spirit of the Academy founders —a commitment to intellectual inquiry, leadership and active engagement. A Toronto native, Birgeneau received his B.Sc. in mathematics from the University of Toronto in 1963 and his Ph.D. in physics from Yale University in 1966. He served on the faculty of Yale for one year, spent one year at Oxford University, and was a member of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories from 1968 to 1975. He joined the Physics Faculty at MIT in 1975 and was named Chair of the Physics Department in 1988 and Dean of Science in 1991. He became the 14th president of the University of Toronto on July 1, 2000. At Berkeley, Birgeneau holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Physics in addition to serving as chancellor.

Nationally renowned Atist, Director, Scholar and Professor of Arts, University of California—Santa Barbara, California

It is no secret that pop culture is awash with ethnic stereotypes.  From "Birth of a Nation" to "Good Times," from "Charlie Chan to Long Duk Dong,” from "West Side Story" to “Taco Bell commercials,” media frenzies over immigration and an ever-increasing palette of potential terrorist threats, mainstream media has endorsed and relied upon one-dimensional ethnic characterizations as comedic fodder, villainous "others," invading hordes, exotic flavoring ... even as evidence of their corporate commitment to diversification. How people of color and other marginalized groups negotiate their inaccurate media portrayals ranges in strategy from simply ignoring them to direct protest, political activism, and the economic boycott of corporate sponsors—unfortunately yielding only mixed results.  While some political mobilizations have succeeded in pulling offensive products off the shelves or affected the canceling of demeaning ad campaigns, the mainstream public reaction to these victories is too often viewing the critics as over-sensitive and politically correct rather than any real absorption of meaningful education and awareness. The end result being that despite decades of self-determination following the civil rights movement, minorities are predominantly negatively stereotyped throughout mainstream media or ignored altogether. Kip Fulbeck, a nationally renowned artist, director, and scholar, discusses the pressing need to create our own images and stories, arguing that given the increased prominence of corporate-challenging alternative media outlets (including YouTube, MySpace, and blogs), the landscape has now changed in favor of the establishment challengers. In this hilarious, powerful, and eye-opening address, Professor Fulbeck presents examples of some nearly unbelievable corporate campaign guffaws, as well as clips from popular movies, television, and print media.  He then shares some newer, groundbreaking work by independent artists, community activists, and high school students, before finishing with samples of his own work—photographing thousands of people nationwide and having them handwrite their individual response to the question "What are you?"

Kip Fulbeck teaches as Professor of Art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where is also an affiliate in the Asian American Studies and Film Studies Departments.  He is the author of Part Asian,100% Hapa (Chronicle Books, 2006) and Paper Bullets: A Fictional Autobiography (University of Washington Press, 2001), and the director of 13 short films including Banana Split, Sex, Love, & Kung Fu, and Lilo & Me. Kip has exhibited and performed his work throughout the world, including The Sydney International Film Festival, The Singapore International Film Festival, The Bonn Videonale, The Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial, and the Locarno International Film Festival, and has had solo shows at the Japanese American National Museum, Space180 Gallery, and the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For Kip Fulbeck recent solo show at the Japanese American National Museum visit a great write-up in the Los Angeles Times. A nationally-ranked masters swimmer and four-time Outstanding Faculty Member, he is also an avid surfer, guitar player, and ocean lifeguard.

Granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, a Dynamic Labor Leader, Community Activist and Fighter for Social Justice—Los Angeles, California

Christine Chavez has a made a lifetime commitment to public service, civil rights and the labor movement.  Christine was born in Delano, California where she was surrounded by the farm worker movement. Today, Christine works for the Community College League of California. She will help qualify an initiative for the 2008 ballot that will position community colleges for more state funding. Prior to her work with the Community Colleges she worked with the United Farm Workers Union, the organization her grandfather Cesar Chavez helped to co‑found 40 years ago.  For eight years, she served as the UFW’s Political Director.  While working with the UFW, Christine’s responsibilities include raising public awareness to protect the civil rights of farm workers and the larger immigrant community.  Over the last eight years, she has helped elect candidates, pass legislation and oversee public outreach activities. Latina Magazine recently named her as one of their top Latinas of 2004 for her longtime involvement with civil rights issues. Christine displayed a commitment to the labor movement at an early age.  At the age of four in Detroit, during the grape boycott, she was arrested with her family for refusing to leave the front of a store that continued to sell grapes. Chavez’s commitment has extended to other unions.  She was engaged in SEIU, Local 1877's battle against LAX.  She fought in UNITE HERE Local 11's battle against the hotel industry.  And she organized rallies in support of UFCW’s protracted Southern California strike.  Every year, Christine oversees the annual Cesar Chavez Walk where over 10,000 people gather to honor the legacy of the great labor leader.  She is responsible for mobilizing schools, colleges, unions, churches and community groups. Recently Christine joined Reverend Al Sharpton to announce the formation of the Latino and African American Leadership Alliance.  Troubled by the escalating violence between Latinos and African Americans, Chavez worked with the Reverend to organize a march to correspond with the Watts riots of 40 years ago.  The Alliance will also sponsor community forums, outreach to schools and enlist the help of policymakers to further this important cause.  Christine Chavez work is based on the values passed down to her from her grandfather ... the fight for civil rights, social justice and labor equality.

A grave development in the history of U.S. racism is the renewed public advocacy of government torture in the name of protecting the citizenry from terrorism and crime. In 1973, FBI and police used classic torture techniques over several days to compel three Black Panthers to sign confessions to a police homicide in San Francisco in 1971. In 1974 and 1975, two courts threw out the case on grounds that it was built on coerced testimony. Having advanced a rationale for torture from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo, the government is once again trying to resurrect this 34-year-old case. On January 23, 2007, eight former Black Panthers were imprisoned and await trial. Sensational media is being used to rewrite the history of the Black movement as a criminal activity. A screening of the new film, Legacy of Torture: the War Against the Black Libertarian Movement, will be followed by a discussion with Soffiyah Elijah of Harvard Law School, actor Danny Glover, and Filmmaker Claude Marks of the Freedom Archives. How can education play a central role in stopping the rising tide of authoritarianism? This session should particularly benefit those who are concerned with society-wide developments that impact higher education, and who teach about race/ethnicity. Mr. Glover, speaking as an individual on this panel, is affiliated with numerous organizations including TransAfrica Forum (chair of the board) and Vanguard Foundation.

J. Soffiyah Elijah, Deputy Director, Criminal Justice Institute, Harvard Law School—Boston Massachusetts

Danny Glover, Actor, Honorary Ph.D., San Francisco State University—San Francisco, California

Claude Marks, Director, the Freedom Archives—San Francisco, California