Indigenous Poetry Session
Thursday, October 12, 11:10 AM-12:30 PM | Catonsville Campus
Classroom and Laboratory Building (CLLB) | Room 004
In this interactive exercise focused on questioning our assumptions about indigenous peoples and conceptions of indigeneity, Professor Tomas Yin Ernesto Montoya, a proud Chicano and instructor at Cesar Chavez Community School in Sacramento, CA, will mix visual art and poetry to open dialogue that moves us through contradictory notions of belonging, stereotypes, deviance and criminality, violence and justice. Tomas' work with incarcerated youth, disproportionately of color and of indigenous descent, seeks to challenge our notion of punishment and push it toward that of rehabilitation. As leader of a transformational arts program funded by YoloArts and the California Arts Council , Tomas' curriculum emphasizes the humanity of juveniles, many of whom are locked up for serious offenses, and seeks to restore indigenous practices aligned with restorative justice. Attendees need not be poets, but open-mindedness and a willingness to learn will produce the best outcome.
For more information, contact:
Courtney Sargent
csargent@ccbcmd.edu
