Tuesday, November 18, noon – 2:00p

Rev. Michael Burch on “Questioning the Rhetoric:  Juvenile Justice and the Language of Democracy in Higher Education“

Experts in juvenile justice and prison reform have noted what they call “the school-to-prison pipeline”, pointing to systemic developments in K-12 public school education that target ethnic minorities and low-income juveniles, putting many of them unfairly into this “pipeline”.  The sense one gets is that universities are the solution and K-12 inadequacies are the problem.  Rev. Burch’s talk will challenge this perspective and show that the university system is in one real sense a contributor to the problem rather than the solution, as colleges choose to remain selective in their admission practices.

Rev. Burch, ordained as a minister for 20 years, is the pastor at Northbrae Community Church in Berkeley.  Much of his professional career has been as a professor of religion and/or athletic coach in universities (UC Davis, GTU-Berkeley, Brown University, Rhode Island College).

Tuesday, December 16, noon – 2:00p

Recap of November 4 Election

Come join us for a recap of the “meaning of it all” after the dust has settled on the election, allowing for thoughtful analysis and discussion.

“Conversations” are held in the Albany Public Library, Edith Stone Room.