In the recent political climate, the use (or misuse) of language has been an issue at the forefront of public discourse and within social movements. Most specifically, this Olio will explore the following: How does a fear of language hold us back from addressing the critical social justice issues that surround us? How does the cultivation of a PC culture actually harm movements for social change?

Together, we will explore language and how it can simultaneously be used to perpetuate systems of oppression and on the other hand, create more welcoming spaces for communities. We will collectively discuss the perils of PC language that separates and hinders us from making social change, alongside "liberatory language," language that uplifts, unites, and mobilizes social change.

Using examples from the immigrant rights and end mass incarceration movements, we will also explore how imagination, and the arts has been used to build "liberatory language" and how a world beyond PC might not only be possible, but necessary.