Join the Nikkita Oliver guest lecture and workshop on community participation, and grassroots organizing in policy and politics.
Co-sponsored by the School of Social Work, Community Action and Social Change Minor, and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Inspired by the events of the November 2018 primary election, the lecture will provoke discussion on the role and importance of representation in the electorate, and strategies to engage community in the political process. Guest speaker Nikkita Oliver will share her story as the first political candidate of the Seattle People's Party, in her run for Mayor of Seattle in 2017. Through her story, participants will learn more about her journey as a political candidate, and the importance of continued community participation in social and political action. The program will present discussion about the role of community practitioners in political advocacy at the intersection of grassroots community organizing, and the use of politics and policy to promote social justice.
Guest speaker Nikkita Oliver will lead an interactive workshop on community participation and grassroots political organizing and action. Participants will gain knowledge of tacit skills, tools and approaches to engage community through political education and advocacy in local governing structures.
In order to join each program, complete the online reservation form.
justice is just us being us
Nikkita Oliver is a Seattle-based creative/artist, community organizer, educator, and attorney. Working at the intersections of arts and organizing she strives to create experiences which draw us closer to our humanity. Her work asks us to engage what we see happening now and to imagine what we hope to see in the future. Nikkita holds a J.D. and Masters of Education from the University of Washington. She is also the case manager for Creative Justice, an arts-based alternative to incarceration, and has worked for arts organizations such as Writers in the Schools and Arts Corps. Nikkita is one of the Seattle Mets 2018 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle, the recipient of the 2018 UW Women's Center Women of Courage Award, 2018 UW Evan's School of Public Policy NOW (Network of Womxn) Award, 2017 City Arts Artists of the Year, Gender Justice Power Award (2017), Seattle King County NAACP President's Leadership Award (2017), Columbia Legal Services Imagine Justice Visionary of the Year (2017), the University of Washington Women's Law Caucus Outstanding Achievement as a Young Lawyer Award (2017), the Seattle Office of Civil Rights Artist Human Rights Leader Award (2015), and the 2014 Seattle Poetry Slam Grand Champion.
University of Michigan
School of Social Work
1080 South University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106