Lectures provide forum for social issues

Bloomington residents will come together over issues of social importance for the next few weeks. Dr. Jorge Chapa, professor and director of Latino Studies at IU, will present the first of five lectures for the Monday Night Justice Series tonight.\nThe aim of the lecture series is to reach and engage as much of the Bloomington community as possible in the discussion of social justice issues. The five lecturers will each present a public forum for discussion on different matters that are relevant to the community.\n"The Monday Night Justice Series is a strong effort to bring the town and the University together over issues concerning everyone," said Marc Haggerty, director of publicity for the event. "It's a really good sign that these professors want to reach out to the community."\nEach lecture will begin at 7 p.m. at Boxcar Books on 310 S. Washington St. The lecture will last an hour, and the second hour will consist of focused discussion on the topic covered by the lecture and miscellaneous background readings. Haggerty said Boxcar Books is a prime location for the event because the store contains thousands of books on social justice that are not available at the library.\n"We hope that those who attend the lectures will take advantage of their huge selection of literature relevant to each topic," he said.\nChapa, who will address issues of Latino labor, immigration and education, said he encourages a wide array of community members to attend the lecture, as he will speak of problems that touch everyone.\n"There are about 8 million undocumented immigrants in the United States," Chapa said. "This de facto system has been strained in recent years and seems to have come to a breaking point since Sept. 11. My discussion will focus on the current situation and how it can be improved."\nJudge Steve Russell, associate professor of criminal justice, will present a lecture on Native American identity on Mar. 17. Russell said he is eager to participate in the lecture series in the hope of making the community aware of the "vanishing Indian" myth.\n"I want to point out disconnections between how American Indians define themselves and how they are defined by law and popular culture," Russell said.\nHaggerty said although each lecture specifically targets particular members of the community, he urges anyone who is interested in discussing problems facing all individuals to attend.\n"We want to give everyone an opportunity to associate with other people that are interested in grass routes democracy," Haggerty said.\nOther lecturers scheduled to speak in the Monday Night Justice Series are Dr. Stephanie Kane, Dr. Amy Reynolds and Dr. John Stanfield. Background information on the topics can be found by visiting www.boxcarbooks.org.