Experts to discuss 13th Amendment, America's prison system during ECC event Feb. 13

On Tuesday, Feb. 13, Elgin Community College will host part three of its "Targets of Hate" series: "The 13th Amendment & the School to Prison Pipeline," a conversation about the 13th Amendment and how race, justice and mass incarceration intersect. The event is free and open to the public. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Building E Dining Hall on the Elgin campus, 1700 Spartan Drive.

The event will begin with a viewing of "13th," a thought-provoking Netflix documentary where scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African-Americans and the U.S. prison boom. After the documentary, which is 100 minutes-long, experts Vincent Gaddis, Ph.D., history professor at Benedictine University, and David Carrillo, Ph.D., professor of human services at ECC, will facilitate discussion on the impact of the 13th Amendment.

The event is sponsored by the ECC Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee (MAGIC), who has developed a cohesive series of out-of-class, campus-wide learning conversations for students, faculty, staff, administrators and the community; ECC's Office of Student Life; and Black Student Achievers, a student organization at ECC.

Part one of the "Targets of Hate" series, "Confederate Flag and Monuments: Why Are They a Big Deal?," took place on Sept. 13, with ECC's history professors providing historical perspectives surrounding the controversy. Part two of the series, "Hate Speech and Freedom of Speech," a conversation about the intricacies of the First Amendment, took place on Wednesday, Nov. 8., with a panel of legal experts discussing the First Amendment and the highly debated topic of what is considered hate speech versus one exercising their right to freedom of speech.

"MAGIC believes in the importance of having programs that address contemporary events related to multicultural and global topics, especially those relevant to our community," said ECC Professor of Digital Technologies and MAGIC Co-Chair Susan Timm.

"Because hate is so complex, MAGIC decided to create a series of presentations and forums with the title 'Targets of Hate'. By providing historical and contextual perspective, we aim to provoke deep thought on the subject within our college and the community at large. Through dialogue, we are able to better understand others and reduce the likelihood of hate."

Members of the community who are interested in learning more are highly encouraged to attend part three on Tuesday, Feb. 13. For additional information about the event, please contact Clark Hallpike, ECC professor and MAGIC co-chair, at (847) 214-7542 or challpike@elgin.edu.