This month at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt features the 28th “Annual Campus & Community Dialogue on Race,” the theme for which is “We Are Here! Fighting Fascism & Erasure.” The event website notes Professor Jason Stanley’s “ten pillars of fascism that serve an ‘us and them’ framework to seize power and dismantle democracy.” These include “mythic past, propaganda, anti-intellectualism, unreality, hierarchy, victimhood, ‘law and order,’ sexual anxiety, favoring ‘the heartland,’ and the dismantling of public goods.”
According to Humboldt Now, the event’s programs will “bring students, faculty, staff, and community members together to examine racial injustice, authoritarianism, and the possibilities of collective resistance” Through workshops, presentations, performances, and facilitated conversations, the weeklong event creates opportunities to consider how racism intersects with other forms of oppression. CDOR welcomes people of all backgrounds into a shared process of reflection, learning, and action.
The 2026 theme focuses on the relationship between fascism, racism, and ultranationalism. It asks participants to examine how political narratives can be used to enforce social hierarchies, designate groups as outsiders, and weaken democratic institutions.
The organizing committee, made up of students, faculty, and staff, aims to explore what it means to fight fascism from a “poly-TEK” vantage point, one that names and engages with Indigenous perspectives like Traditional Ecological Knowledge in a “polytechnic” university. Speakers will talk about the relationships between AI, colonialism, and eugenics.
The October 19 “keynote event” discussion will be led by “feminist and decolonial scholar of science and technology studies” Anita Say Chan (pictured) of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Chan’s book “Predatory Data” purports to “show how technological systems can reproduce inequalities affecting immigrants and other marginalized communities.”
The 21st and 22nd respectively feature Roberto González, whose research “focuses on technofascism and the effects of algorithmic policing and surveillance on communities of color,” and Abby Abinanti, California’s first Native American to pass the state bar exam and serve as state judge. Abinanti “incorporates traditional cultural values and rehabilitative practices into judicial proceedings, offering alternatives to conventional criminal justice models,” the press release notes.
According to Cal Poly Humboldt Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies Professor Mike Atienza, “we don’t talk about race in our everyday lives,” and thus these conversations can be held in a “really supportive and principled space.” Atienza’s faculty page notes he collaborates with “performance artist” Maria Arte Susya Purisima Tolentino to “use the form of drag to analyze transnational media representations and discourse about the lives of Filipina/o/x people.”
Georgia and I are both alumni of Humboldt, first as Humboldt State College,which became Humboldt State University while we attended, and then Cal Poly Humboldt after we graduated. Of course, both of us majored in sciences (she chemistry, me oceanography and biology), so other than the mandatory social studies and art requirements, we were not subjected to anything like this.
I think we can safely rule out donating to the school now, not that we ever did before.
PJM's Bob Spencer thinks
Now THIS Would Be Fun: Kennedy Is Considering a Run for President!
"No, not the MAHA guy, and not, thank God, one of the gaggle of off-putting
leftists that the Secretary of Health and Human Services is unfortunate enough
to have as his relatives. No, the
Kennedy who may be running
for president this time is none other than the most riotously funny man in the
Senate, Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.), who is no relation to the famous
Massachusetts family, either in bloodline or political outlook." He's kind of
old, but he seems sharp, and the quote he would generate would be amazing.
Not unexpectedly, Lauren Conlin@conlin_lauren, "BREAKING:
Judge William Sullivan has DENIED Lindsay Clancy’s motion for a finding of
not guilty on all three murder indictments. Kevin Reddington argued the evidence was insufficient on two issues:
whether prosecutors proved Clancy was the person who killed her three children
and whether she was criminally responsible at the time. Sullivan rejected both
arguments, finding there was enough evidence for a rational fact finder to
conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy committed the killings and was
criminally responsible. The motion is 5 pages, 5th page in the comments."
Nini, a distinguished musician hailing from Taiwan, has dedicated over two
decades to mastering and performing traditional Chinese folk instruments. Her
extensive experience has taken her on tours across Europe, the USA, Canada,
China, Japan, and throughout her homeland. Nini's innovative approach to music
involves playing genres such as heavy metal, rock, and EDM on traditional
instruments like the Ruan, Liuqin, and San Xian. She also performs on a unique
electric lute known as the DaoYu, which she uses to create a distinctive and
modern sound that bridges cultural and musical boundaries.
During the 19th season of America's Got Talent, Nini delivered a jaw-dropping
performance that left the judges and audience in awe. Her electrifying
performance brought the entire crowd and judges to their feet, resulting in a
standing ovation. Howie Mandel dubbed her "NiNi Van Halen" and "NiNi Hendrix",
highlighting her extraordinary talent and flair. Simon Cowell was equally
impressed, declaring, "Anyone would be mad not to immediately put you on tour
with them. You are so charismatic, brilliant. It's one of my favorite
auditions that I have seen for a long, long, long time."
