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Panel Discussion to be Held on "Suspended: Systemic Oppression in Our Schools"

By University Relations Staff

DUBUQUE, Iowa - A panel discussion in connection with the traveling exhibit "Suspended: Systemic Oppression in Our Schools" will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 10, 2023, in Room 264, Peter and Susan Smith Welcome Center on the University of Dubuque campus. The exhibit will be open at 6:00 p.m. for people to view the exhibit ahead of the panel discussion.

The panel discussion and exhibit are free and open to the public.

The panelists will be Carla L. Anderson, MBA, chairperson of the Dubuque Equity and Human Rights Commission and president of the board for the Dubuque and Jackson Counties Habitat for Humanity; Victor Anderson, juvenile court officer III; Claudette Bees, MA, a retired teacher and administrator; Claudette Carter-Thomas, a retired probation officer; Mary W. Gitau, PhD, LMSW, an associate professor of social work at Clarke University; and Joe Lomax, MA, retired chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

"Suspended: Systemic Oppression in Our Schools" is an original exhibition developed by the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that examines the concept of the school-to-prison pipeline. The African American Museum of Iowa's website states, "Elements of the criminal justice system have entered public schools around the country, resulting in zero tolerance policies and student policing that disproportionately effect children of color."

"Suspended: Systemic Oppression in Our Schools" will be available for tours through Friday, March 10, 2023, in the Multicultural Student Center, Peter and Susan Smith Welcome Center. Exhibit hours vary. To confirm viewing availability, contact James Sizer, MEd, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement, at JSizer@dbq.edu. To schedule a student-guided tour, contact Angie Brandel, EdD, professor of teacher education, at ABrandel@dbq.edu or 563.213.0380.

"Suspended: Systemic Oppression in Our Schools" is hosted by UD's Department of Education, UD's Department of Philosophy, Politics, and History, and UD's Office of Multicultural Student Engagement.