The "Talking About Race" Discussion group will meet in good weather, outdoors at the library with distancing and masks. To sign up please email oliviarodham@gmail.com . You may join this group at any time . ( Each discussion stands alone.)
This month we will discuss :
Michelle Alexander’s TEDx talk (Approx. 24 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ6H-Mz6hgw
Other interesting topics:
A small farm is fighting racism in farming and climate change - Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/climate-solutions/interactive/2021/harvest-world-black-family-farm-is-fighting-racism-agriculture-climate-change/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/climate-solutions/interactive/2021/harvest-world-black-family-farm-is-fighting-racism-agriculture-climate-change/?itid=hp-top-table-main
http://centerforthehumanities.org/programming/calendar
https://www.democracynow.org/2021/3/15/steven_donziger_house_arrest_chevron
Meet U.S. Lawyer Steven Donziger, Who Sued Chevron in Ecuador. Now He’s Under House Arrest in NYC
Decades of reckless oil drilling by Chevron have destroyed 1,700 square miles of land in the Ecuadorian Amazon, but the company has refused to pay for the damage or clean up the land despite losing a lawsuit 10 years ago, when Ecuador’s Supreme Court ordered the oil giant to pay $18 billion on behalf of 30,000 Amazonian Indigenous people ...
The abuse of black landowners by the USDA has become front and center. This is a good article :
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/09/this-land-was-our-land/594742/
In our first meeting we came up with a Community agreement:
Stay engaged: Staying engaged means “remaining morally, emotionally, intellectually, and socially involved in the dialogue."
Accept Vulnerability: This norm acknowledges that discomfort is inevitable, especially in dialogue about race, and that participants make a commitment to bring issues into the open.
Speak your truth: Use “I” statements when talking. These are your unique experiences.
Respect others: accept uncertainty and not quick solutions. Be aware that racial understanding requires ongoing dialogue.
Confidentiality makes this a safe place for people to share.
Use the simple formula of 1,2,3 and me. Speak and then let 3 others share.