Staff & Employee

About the Panelists

Sam Bergen '04 is the chief marketing officer at Illumination, shepherding The Super Mario Bros. Movie to a worldwide box office of $1.36 billion earlier this year. He is currently preparing for the launch of Migration this December and for Despicable Me 4 next July. Prior to joining Illumination in December 2020, Bergen was vice president of global brand creative for Beats by Dre, built Vice Media’s West Coast office, and was CMO for Omnicom. At Oxy, Bergen majored in cognitive science with a minor in film. 

Doors open at 6:30pm. Film begins at 7pm. Running time: 94min. 

Panelists include:

Baktash Ahadi: Executive Producer of Retrograde, survivor of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Peace Corps veteran, and former combat interpreter and cultural advisor for the US military, Baktash is a tireless storyteller and advocate for conflict refugees and underrepresented communities. 

The Critical Race Theory Forward Tracking Project is an up-to-date, interactive, clearinghouse of the attacks on Critical Race Theory at the local, state, and federal levels

Some data highlights of FTP include: 

Aoki studies the historical development of Asian American revolutionary organizing and radical theory, as well as the broader history of the Third World Left in the United States, through the framework of dialectical and historical materialism. He is currently researching the role of Asian Americans in the rise and fall of the New Communist Movement. He is also a community organizer active in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, participating in projects dedicated to mutual aid and grassroots political education.

To attend virtually: Register Here

Salam Al-Marayati is nationally recognized for his commitment to improving the public understanding of Islam and policies impacting American Muslims. Salam is president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). He oversees MPAC’s groundbreaking civic engagement, public policy, and advocacy work. He is an expert on Islam in the West, Muslim reform movements, human rights, democracy, national security, and Middle East politics. Salam has spoken at the White House, Capitol Hill and represented the U.S. at international human rights and religious freedom conferences. 

Kristina Kvien ’87 P’20 joined the Department of State in 1992, rising to the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor. Ms. Kvien served much of her career as an Economic Officer, focusing on trade, finance, investment, environment, science, technology and health.

Raúl Pérez is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of La Verne, and previously an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Denver. His research has been published in journals such as American Behavioral Scientist, Discourse and Society, Ethnicities, and Sociological Perspectives. His scholarship has been awarded and supported by the American Sociological Association, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the University of California Center for New Racial Studies, the Working Class Studies Association, and the American Humor Studies Association.

This book talk event at Occidental College will feature a discussion with co-authors E.J. Dionne Jr. and Miles Rapoport on their recently published book by The New Press: 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting. Click HERE to register for this free event!