The Politics of Protest in Nevada
January 2018 marks the one year anniversary of the Women’s March, the largest mass protest in Northern Nevada’s history, with over 10,000 people peacefully protesting in downtown Reno. As we reflect on the rich history of protest and civil disobedience in Nevada, join Nevada Humanities for our next Salon series gathering: The Salon: The Politics of Protest in Nevada.
This Salon will be moderated by Dr. Emily K. Hobson, assistant professor of History and Gender, Race, and Identity at the University of Nevada, and will feature a diverse panel of voices, discussing current mass mobilizing efforts. The Salon will focus on different resistance movements around land access and rights in Nevada, from the Dann sisters to the Bundy family. Featured Salon panelists who will lead the discussion include: Aria Overli, economic justice community organizer; John L. Smith, journalist; and Autumn Harry, environmental steward and activist.
Meet Our Salon Panelists:
Autumn Harry is a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in Northern Nevada. She recently graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science. Throughout her college career, Autumn had the opportunity to complete several internships; each playing a vital role in her growth as an environmental steward. Throughout her travels, Autumn has worked within Indigenous communities - learning about how climate change affects cultural and natural resources. Recently, Autumn has been involved in organizing actions, bringing awareness to the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the importance of preserving water in Nevada.
Emily K. Hobson is an assistant professor of History and Gender, Race, and Identity at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her first book, Lavender and Red: Liberation and Solidarity in the Gay and Lesbian Left was published by the University of California Press in 2016.
Aria Overli is the Economic Justice Community Organizer with ACTIONN. ACTIONN works to organize communities of faith and people most affected by issues to fight for a stronger Northern Nevada. Overli received her master's degree in Cultural Anthropology with an emphasis in Gender, Race, and Identity from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2016. Her thesis focused on organizing and community building among young undocumented immigrants in the final years of the Obama administration. Aria grew up in Northern Nevada in an extremely low-income family and is passionate about ensuring that all low-income folks have access the opportunities to succeed and to live safe and healthy lives.
John L. Smith is an award-winning columnist and the author of more than a dozen books of non-fiction, biography, investigative journalism, short stories, and travel writing. Named “most popular print journalist” by the Las Vegas Review Journal’s readers for 14 years straight. He is a regular contributor to the Daily Beast online magazine, and is the founder of the independent press, Nevadasmith Press. Smith is currently writing a book about the Bundy family in Nevada.
This event happened on Friday, January 19, 2018 at 6 pm at Sundance Books and Music in Reno.