Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action: October 2010

Friday, October 15, 2010

Start the semester off right!

The fall semester is in full swing, and the Connie Hogarth Center has wasted no time in getting active and hosting events.

On October 2nd, six students from the center attended the "One Nation Working Together" rally in Washington DC, sacrificing sleep and a precious Saturday night. As soon as we stepped off the bus at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, we were engulfed in a sea of people- wearing colorful t-shirts, carrying signs, and chanting union cheers- we knew this rally was going to be huge. When we arrived at the Lincoln memorial, tens of thousands of people had already gathered at the steps and either side of the reflecting pool; we were greeted by lively music and the palpable energy of the crowd.

While walking around, we were bombarded with fliers, literature, buttons and stickers from every kind of organization from Jobs with Justice to Code Pink while listening to the words of figures such as Medea Benjamin and Harry Belefonte.

Though long and tiring as the day was, we returned to campus inspired and empowered by the energy of the rally and the willingness of people and organizations to transcend ideologies, disagreements and individual goals to come together for a day of solidarity and unity.

The Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action

The Manhattanville College Departments of Sociology and Political Science work closely with the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action, which is located in the Gallery of Founder’s Hall.

The Center’s mission is to help the next generation of college-educated activists acquire, in the course of their undergraduate training, the practical skills and knowledge necessary for work in some field of social change. Recently retired after 23 years as Executive Director of the Westchester People’s Action Coalition (WESPAC), Connie Hogarth is recognized throughout the metropolitan area and the nation as a leading activist in various struggles for peace and justice.

The Center runs a lecture series and a mentoring program, supports student research and publishes a student-edited journal devoted to social change, helps locate internships and employment, and runs workshops in public speaking, the use of computers, fund raising, media access and organizing.

About Connie Hogarth

CONNIE HOGARTH

Director, Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action at Manhattanville College
Founding Member and Steering Committee Member, Climate Crisis Coalition

Connie Hogarth is a lifetime peace, justice, anti-nuclear and environmental activist. As co-founder and executive director of Westchester People’s Action Coalition (WESPAC) for 23 years (she has been executive director emerita since 1996), she was actively organizing for the shut-down of Indian Point nuclear power plants. Ms. Hogarth is a current member of the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition (IPSEC), and continues to work for the shut-down of Indian Point. In 1998, Manhattanville College established the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action, which Ms. Hogarth now directs, dedicated to training students to move from academics to social activism. She is a founding member and serves on the steering committee of the Climate Crisis Coalition in Lenox, MA. She has been active in the local NAACP, the Mid-Hudson Progressive Alliance, Lower Hudson Valley Civil Liberties Union and the Beacon Sloop Club. She serves as a committee person on the Fishkill Democratic Committee and is a member of the Dutchess County Democratic Committee.