ECC’s MAGIC presents part 13 in its Black Lives Matter series

Elgin Community College’s Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee (MAGIC) presents Part XIII of the “Black Lives Matter” series on Tuesday, November 14, at 11 am. The discussion will be on the culture of guns in America and will take place in Building B, Room B180, on ECC’s Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, Ill. This event is free and open to the public, and people can also join via Zoom.

“This discussion is a response to the mass shootings and number of deaths we continually see by gun violence,” shares Clark Hallpike, professor of business and MAGIC chair. “Even the day I sent out this invite to our campus community, there was a mass shooting in Maine. We want our campus and community to be aware of what is happening with gun violence and to understand it.”

The panelists for the event include Katherine Reed, director of education and content at the Association of Health Care Journalists; Junaid Afeef, JD, administrative law judge at the Illinois Department of Public Health; Vincent Gaddis, PhD, professor of history at Elgin Community College; and Steve Bianchi, commander at the Elgin Police Department.

The panelists will focus and guide the discussion through three major points: gaining insight into the impact of guns and violence in the Black community, acting to reduce gun violence in your community by joining an advocacy group, and exploring how the Second Amendment affects the prevalence of guns in America.

The MAGIC Black Lives Matter series is presented in partnership with BEST (Black Employee Support Team), Black Student Achievers, ECC Police Department, ECC Renner Academic Library, ECC’s Office of Student Life, Elgin Police Department, and the Gail Borden Public Library. The session will be recorded and made available to the public afterward.

ECC’s Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee aims to prepare individuals to succeed in a diverse society by providing and supporting multicultural learning experiences at Elgin Community College and within District 509 to create an inclusive environment at the college.

For additional information, contact Clark Hallpike at 847-214-7542 or challpike@elgin.edu.