Stand Up to Bullies!

Saturday, November 7, 2015
First Presbyterian Church, Allentown

Plenary and Workshop Topics

• Domestic Violence –
  Turning Point of Lehigh Valley, which provdes services for more than 5,000 people each year, is a safe place where victims of abuse and their children can find refuge. What can we do to eliminate domestic violence in the Lehigh Valley?
• Gun Violence – Fritz Walker
  This presentation will cover basic statistics on the shocking level of gun violence in America, with some emphasis on guns and children, and guns and domestic violence. It will include discussion of the meaning of the 2nd Amendment and a summary our existing gun laws, at both the federal and state levels, and the dangerous loopholes they contain. Also included will be discussion of how the gun lobby operates to block commonsense protections for the general public, and a summary of pending legislation, both good and bad. The presentation will conclude with with some thoughts on practical steps people can take to reduce the tragic toll of gun violence in our communities.
• Human Trafficking – Christi Dominguez
  Labor trafficking often involves immigrants working in sweatshop conditions; however, the majority of sex trafficking victims in Pennsylvania are not foreigners, but children in their home communities here in Pennsylvania / Lehigh Valley. Learn what we can do to prevent trafficking.
• Systemic Racism in Our Schools and the School to Prison Pipeline –
  Misplaced spending priorities have left behind many of the poor and racial/ethnic minority students in our public schools. Allentown School District, for example, has had persistently high dropout rates and ranks near the bottom in academic achievement among Pennsylvania school districts. Why is this so, and what are we doing about it?