Conference Agenda

In this panel, we explore how the current political climate both disrupts communities and creates opportunities for communities to build stronger coalitions and support systems. Each paper reflects the impacts of these current issues. One paper explores how recent immigrant enforcement actions have disrupted the daily lives of individuals, regardless of immigration status. Special focus is given to the material and social consequences on targeted communities. The second paper explores how these same efforts by the federal government have direct negative effects on commercial and communal life in select New Jersey neighborhoods. The final paper explores how LGBTQ+ communities find hope, connection, and solidarity through online networks.

*Intended to be part of a panel titled Community disruption and community building: How the current political context creates and disrupts solidarity building. Chair: Devin A. Heyward, PhD; Discussant: David S. Surrey, PhD*

LGBTQ youth and young adults actively use social media to explore identities, connect with others, and seek support. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok enable users to share personal narratives and educational content, offering self-understanding and affirmation, particularly for those lacking institutional or familial support. Within these platforms, LGBTQ+ folx have the opportunity to create online social support groups, fostering community, togetherness, and the creation of a second family. These digital spaces allow individuals to fully explore their gender identity, pronouns, and self-expression in an environment that is safer than real-life spaces. Users have expressed the positive impacts of these groups, connecting with others who can relate to similar experiences. However, within these groups, there’s a risk of harassment, vulnerability to hate groups, and experiences of discrimination. Public forms and conversations can create cyberbullying, negative comments, and can significantly cause mental health distress. To many, social media is an escape from the real world to seek comfort and relatability that one may not find. The purpose of this paper is to highlight how crucial social media platforms are in influencing LGBTQ identity development, self-discovery, and social support, while also acknowledging the risks and impact of being visible in a space where people can make discriminatory remarks.

Intended to be part of a panel titled Community disruption and community building: How the current political context creates and disrupts solidarity building. Chair: Devin A. Heyward, PhD; Discussant: David S. Surrey, PhD

Immigration enforcement, both as a threat and as an action, has dramatically reshaped the fabric of New Jersey communities. Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo (2025), the Supreme Court decision legalizing racial profiling, has shattered any pretense of selective, legal (but dubious) targeting. One noticeable impact is the closing of restaurants, and many businesses in general, due to raids. This impacts workers, some already in detention or deported, as well as those fearful of showing up to avoid these actions. For the same reasons the number of customer has dropped dramatically. People are afraid to take local transportation such as buses, which are also being stopped and searched. Community events such as concerts are no longer held. Authorities have repeatedly violated sanctuary city ordinances. Individuals, no matter what their status, have been stopped, physically abused and arrested, altering the fabric of communities. This paper offers a reflection on the above factors impacting commerce and community life.

Intended to be part of a panel titled Community disruption and community building: How the current political context creates and disrupts solidarity building. Chair: Devin A. Heyward, PhD; Discussant: David S. Surrey, PhD

Regardless of immigration status, people are profiled and subjugated to federal immigration enforcement whether they are undocumented, DACAmented, green-card holders or Citizens. In the current political environment, individuals have changed core aspects of their daily routines (i.e., religious service attendance; grocery shopping; school attendance; and attendance at immigration hearings). Through observations, interviews, and media analyses, this paper will discuss the shared effects on families in urban, suburban and rural communities in Central New Jersey, as well as communities across the state and nation. Special attention will be paid to the sociological and psychological impacts on children, as well as the material consequences faced by individuals in this context.