Join us as we celebrate the renaming of College Ten in honor of John R. Lewis. John R. Lewis College is UC Santa Cruz’s youngest and one of the most diverse colleges. It is home to a series of robust programs designed to realize its founding themes of Social Justice and Community, all aimed at empowering students to create positive change.
We celebrate this momentous occasion with powerful speakers, performances, and a call to action to empower our students to seek justice and create necessary trouble in their educational journey and beyond.
A college in John Lewis’ name is a profound honor and a great responsibility for UC Santa Cruz. This dedication celebration will solidify our commitment to live up to the legacy of Representative Lewis, to answer his call to create a more just and fair society, and to leave the world a better place than we found it.
Come be a part of history in the making!
- 3:00 p.m. Doors Open
- 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Speakers, Performances, and more
- 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. After-party
Featured Speakers and Performers:
LaTosha Brown
We are honored to host LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter, Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute. In strong resonance to the values and life’s work of John R. Lewis, LaTosha works tirelessly to catalyze voter registration, voter turnout, and political power in Black, often marginalized, communities. She is an award-winning organizer, philanthropic consultant, political strategist and jazz singer. LaTosha possesses over twenty years of experience working in the non-profit and philanthropy sectors, which she leverages to inspire action promoting political empowerment, social justice, economic development, leadership development, and civil rights. She is a nationally recognized voice speaking truth to power, raising consciousness, and leading from “a deep love for humanity, democracy and justice.”
Terisa Siagatonu
We also welcome back our very own Terisa Siagatonu, an award-winning poet, teaching artist, mental health educator, and community leader born and rooted in the Bay Area. Her presence in the poetry world as a queer Samoan woman and activist has granted her opportunities to perform and speak in places ranging from the White House (during the Obama administration) to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France. The most memorable moment in her career was receiving President Obama’s Champion of Change Award in 2012 for her activism as a spoken word poet/organizer in her Pacific Islander community. Terisa is an alumna of UCSC College Ten/John R. Lewis College, and wrote her first poem in her dorm room in House 6/Angela Davis.
Wisdom Cole
We are delighted to announce that Wisdom Cole, UCSC alumnus and civil rights advocate and national organizer, will also be speaking at the Dedication of John R. Lewis College. As the NAACP’s National Director for Youth and College Division, he works to train and mobilize young people across the country in effective local, state, and national organizing tactics and tools to build political power. Noted as one of Complex Life's 32 Young Activists who are Changing the world, Wisdom has been featured on NPR, VICE, NBC Washington News, Brooking Institute, and The Economist as an advocate for youth voter turnout through issue-based campaign organizing.
