Students for Quality Education will host a discussion with the mother of slain California State University, Humboldt student David Josiah Lawson in Sequoia Hall 301 on Oct. 18 from 6-8 p.m.

The event will begin with a screening of the documentary “Unsolved Hate: Arcata,” which is about Josiah. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Josiah’s mother, Charmaine Lawson.

The event will start with a welcome, a moment of silence, and an embrace of Lawson. The documentary will be screened around 6:15 p.m. and will run for 25 minutes. Lawson will then be given the chance to speak, and the event will close with a discussion.

The documentary screening is part of the “Justice For Josiah” movement happening statewide across CSU campuses. During the week of Oct. 15 through Oct. 19, various events will occur to bring awareness to Lawson’s controversial death in Arcata on April 15, 2017; and to what some believe is injustice in his subsequent unsolved murder case.

Among the events planned for the CSU-wide movement are social media blasts, informational meetings, tabling, hanging banners on campuses and discussions. Sacramento State’s event will center around a documentary directed by Sac State Alumna, Courtney Wagner.

Lawson was stabbed at an off-campus party on the night of April 15, 2017, according to Arcata news site Mad River Union.

Police were dispatched to the scene but a friend of Lawson’s, Elijah Chandler, who gave him CPR at the scene, said the authorities did not attend to Lawson’s wounds in a timely manner, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Inside Higher Ed reported that instead, authorities focused on crowd control. Lawson bled out in front of the house and succumbed to his injuries at Mad River Hospital a few miles away. One person was arrested on suspicion of murder, Kyle Zoellner, according to Mad River Union, however, the charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Many feel that Humboldt State has not supported the investigation or Josiah Lawson’s mother after her son’s tragic death, including Sac State SQE student leader Jorge Quintana.

“Institutional neglect is also a CSU wide epidemic,” Quintana said. “We pay into these universities, yet their support always falls flat. CSU Humboldt left Josiah’s mom without support. These institutions do not support students of color.”

Quintana said Wagner’s documentary “Unsolved Hate: Arcata!” “gives folks an opportunity to learn about Josiah as much as they learn about his death.”

“I hope that they can see the parallels between the neglect of Josiah and how the CSU has continually divested from students of color,” Quintana said.

Quintana said he hopes the documentary will bring to light the issues that are occurring at campuses statewide.

“I hope Sac State students see the violence faced by black students on and off campus,” Quintana said, “We have Sacramentans being gunned down by cops just minutes away from campus. We have a police department whose presence is traumatizing to students of color.”

“We are not an exception to institutional racism on a college campus,” Quintana said. “Our university claims to value diversity, but in the President’s strategic plan there is no strategy laid out to show how the university plans to foster diversity.”

Because of the sensitive nature of the event, it is open to anyone and everyone who “comes with an open heart and who is willing to give their love and energy to create a community for Ms. Lawson,” according to Quintana.

For those who cannot attend the event, Quintana said there are still ways to get involved in the “Justice For Josiah” movement.

“Follow our SQE chapter on Facebook ‘Sac State SQE,’” Quintana said of how students can stay connected. “We are also planning a discussion around how we can continue to foster protection for our students on campus without increased police presence.”