The School of Social Work in the College of Health and Social Services at New Mexico State University is inviting members of the NMSU community and general public to join in on a virtual conversation Monday, June 22, about racial violence and social justice.

The forum will feature a panel of speakers that includes Bobbie Green, president of the Doña Ana County branch of the NAACP; Nia Rucker, regional director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico; Michael Ray, director of the American Indian Program at NMSU; and Héctor Luis Díaz, director of the School of Social Work at NMSU.

The forum, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. on Zoom, will provide a space for dialogue on racial violence and social justice issues that are impacting communities nationally and locally, said Díaz, who joined NMSU earlier this month.

“The two public health crises we have experienced in the United States during recent months represent a great opportunity for us to shine by exercising leadership in the promotion of social justice, peace and reconciliation,” he said.

“We have witnessed a global virus pandemic as well as a national epidemic of police brutality. In both cases, Blacks, Latinos and other minorities have been disproportionately negatively affected,” he added. “As educators, citizens and agents for social change, we have a moral and ethical imperative to work for social justice. We cannot afford to remain silent and become accomplices in these human tragedies.”

To watch the forum, participants must register at http://nmsu.life/8w to receive the Zoom link. Registration is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Myra Garcia at [email protected] or Olga Cabada at [email protected].