David Ga'oupu Matthew Palaita, PhD 

Wednesday, November 6, 2024  |  1:00-2:30 PM Central Time

Dr. David Ga'oupu Matthew Palaita, is a Samoan scholar born and raised in Waipahu, O'ahu, Hawai'i. A product of public schools and a former McNair Scholar at the University of Washington in Seattle, Dr. Palaita went on to become professor of Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies and Ethnic Studies at the City College of San Francisco. He is currently chair of the department of Interdisciplinary at City Colege of San Francisco Studies where he oversees programs in Diversity and Social Justice, Ethnic Studies, Critical Middle East Studies, and Trauma, Prevention, and Recovery. Dr. Palaita is currently working on a manuscript for publication entitled, "VĀSĀ (Ocean): An Interdisciplinary Framework for Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies.

Maria Hinojosa

Thursday, November 7, 2024  |  1:00-2:30 PM Central Time

As a reporter who was the first Latina in many newsrooms, Maria Hinojosa dreamt of a space where she could create independent, multimedia journalism  that explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. She made that dream a reality in 2010 when she created Futuro Media, an independent, nonprofit newsroom based in Harlem, NYC with the mission to create multimedia content from a POC perspective. 

Hinojosa’s nearly 30-year career as an award-winning journalist includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN, NPR and anchoring the Emmy Award-winning talk show from WGBH Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One. She is the author of two books and has won dozens of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast, “Suave”.

As the Anchor and Executive Producer of the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA, distributed by NPR, as well as Co-Host of In The Thick, the Futuro Media’s award-winning political podcast, Hinojosa has informed millions about the changing cultural and political landscape in America and abroad. Her new book, Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America, Hinojosa tells the story of immigration in America through her family’s experiences and decades of reporting, painting an unflinching portrait of a country in crisis. She is also a contributor to the long-running, 
award-winning news program CBS Sunday Morning and a MSNBC Contributor.

In 2018 she was a Fellow at Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and is a frequent speaker across the country. In 2019, she was named the inaugural 
Distinguished Journalist in Residence at her Alma Mater, Barnard College. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez 

Friday, November 8, 2024  |  1:00-2:30 PM Central Time

Xiuhtezcatl is a musician, activist, and a prolific voice for his generation. Xiuhtezcatl’s first relationship with music was as a means of preserving his Indigenous culture and language, which influence the sound and direction of his releases to this day. His thought-provoking lyrics are anchored by his Xochimilca and Mexican roots, and the environmental justice work his mother raised him in.

Growing up with deep ties to family and community on both sides of the US and Mexico border, he incorporates Spanish and English interchangeably into his music. Alongside his decades of work as a community activist, Xiuhtezcatl has always believed in the role music and art have to play in creating social change. Xiuhtezcatl began touring the world and sharpening his musical craft at the age of 17. He has performed and collaborated with artists such as Raury, WILLOW, and Jaden, while building outside the boundaries of the music industry to use art to challenge systems of injustice.

Formerly the Youth Director of Earth Guardians, a global environmental activist organization, Xiuhtezcatl has given multiple TED talks, has delivered several speeches before the United Nations, and was named TIMES next 100 in 2019. X has hosted podcasts, published multiple books on the intersections of community organizing, art and culture, and continues to use his voice and his art to reclaim space, build community and engage his generation in reimagining our future.

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