San Diego City College hosted its fifth annual Social Justice Conference this week. The events kicked off on Tuesday evening with the She is Warned event. 

Despite the rainy day on Wednesday morning, it was bright and sunny for the Social Justice Festival. 

The week-long conference featured music and dancing on Wednesday. Professor DJ Shadow provided the tunes while students gathered and danced to the hip-hop beats. Guest speaker Yosimar Reyes, a nationally-acclaimed poet and public speaker, talked about his poem about being undocumented, The Legalities of Being.

Wednesday’s events were broken up into three sessions. The first was an event speaking about Indigenous Migrants in the United States. The second spoke about Action for Health: A youth-led critical examination at the intersection of housing instability and health. And finally the third  was a student led session titled #BelieveWomen: Knowledge. Trust. Power. 

An open-mic opportunity during Wednesday’s lunch at the AH/BT quad provided students and professors the platform to express themselves and show off their talents. Professor Prescott delighted the audience by reading two poems. 

“She saves my life everyday,” read a poem by City College student Gwynne Biuso who shared her poem about her service dog. 

Biuso, returned to school after 30 years out of the classroom, she is working toward an Associate’s Degree in social and behavioral sciences with a certificate in mental health.

This is her fourth semester at city college. She’s always had a passion for writing. 

The ASG also showed their support and invited every student to help sign a petition to extend the library hours. 

Also present was the student club Puente. Its members were available to sell refreshments to fellow students and answer questions about their club. 

The club, which is open to all students,  focuses on Chicano learning and offers services to help students transfer. 

“It is a great transfer program,” said Puente member Alian Hernandez-Rios. “The biggest part of the club is that it helps people stay motivated.”

Wednesday’s events end up with the Visual/Audio Monologue Performance (VAMP) at the Saville Theatre: Eight students told their true stories with visual accompaniment in response to the theme “Against the Law” in front of a live audience.

The conference concluded Thursday with the Dignity Across Borders fundraiser for La 72 Shelter at the Saville Theater.