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Community Organizing and Keys to Resistance in Pre- and Post-Olympic Rio de Janeiro – Theresa Williamson
November 12, 2019 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Free
In preparation for the 2016 Olympics, the city of Rio de Janeiro targeted several of the low-income communities known as favelas for removal, leaving residents with few viable options for housing. Despite initial positive press for policies intervening in the city’s favelas, the tide changed in 2013 with escalating debate and conflict over policies which have proven only to exacerbate Rio’s infamous inequality. Known as the “Marvelous City” for its geographic beauty, Rio is also known as the “Divided City” by locals, residents face significant disparities and historic segregation in access to public services, with low-income residents being stigmatized, rather than supported, in their pursuit of opportunity.
How will Rio’s “coming of age” unfold? What will the fate be of the city’s world-famous favela communities, numbered at over 1000 today? How is the city currently handling these communities? Will Rio take advantage of this moment to grow and consolidate its economy without compromising its unique cultural heritage, and in ways that reduces inequality? These are among the issues Dr. Williamson will address in her talk.
Theresa Williamson, Ph.D. is a city planner and founding executive director of Catalytic Communities, an NGO working to support Rio de Janeiro’s favelas through asset-based community development. CatComm produces RioOnWatch, an award-winning local-to-global favela news platform, She received the 2018 American Society of Rio prize for her contributions to the city and the 2012 NAHRO Award for her contributions to the international housing debate. Williamson received the 2005 Gill-Chin Lim Award for Best Dissertation on International Planning and CatComm received the 2006 Tech Museum Award for technology benefiting humanity. Dr. Williamson earned her B.A. in Biological Anthropology from Swarthmore College and PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
This lecture is open to UF students and faculty. At 10:30am on this same day, Dr. Williamson will hold an informal question and answer session with students and interested faculty in the Keene Faculty Center.
Sponsored by the Department of Spanish & Portuguese Studies, UF International Center, Center for Latin American Studies and the Center of the Humanities and the Public Sphere (Rothman Endowment).
For more information, contact M. Elizabeth Ginway: eginway@ufl.edu