Join us on the second Thursday evening of each month at 7:30 pm for Watch. Read. Listen. Engage. How to Become an Antiracist Discussion Series. Discussion group activities will include watching movies, listening to podcasts, and reading books (both fiction and nonfiction) that will help educate about systemic racism, prejudice, white privilege and what it means to be a black person in our society. Engage in what may be uncomfortable and possibly challenging discussions with fellow community members.
Meeting dates/agenda:
September 10: Watch. 13th. A thought-provoking documentary directed by Ava DuVernay, in which scholars, activists, and politicians analyze the criminalization of black Americans and the U.S. prison boom. Watch before meeting in order to discuss. Available on Netflix and for free on YouTube. (Documentary is not available in DVD format.)
October 8: Read. The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull. The Lesson uses an alien invasion story to grapple with the violent history of colonialism in the Caribbean. “An alien ship rests over Water Island. For five years the people of the US Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of super advanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act of aggression with disproportional wrath. This has led to a strained relationship between the Ynaa and the local Virgin Islanders and a peace that cannot last.” Copies of the book will be available from the library beginning a month before discussion or download the e-book or audiobook from Hoopla. Read before meeting in order to discuss.
November 12: Listen. NPR podcast Throughline: American Police. “Black Americans being victimized and killed by the police is an epidemic. A truth many Americans are acknowledging since the murder of George Floyd, as protests have occurred in all fifty states calling for justice on his behalf. But this tension between African American communities and the police has existed for centuries. [In this podcast], the origins of American policing and how those origins put violent control of Black Americans at the heart of the system.” Listen to before meeting in order to discuss.
December 10: (POSTPONED TO 12/16)Read. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi “Historian and New York Times best-selling author Ibram X. Kendi uses a mix of personal experiences, history, and science to show how a person can go from being racist to anti-racist, and how we can all build a new anti-racist society.” Copies of the book will be available at the library beginning a month before discussion. Read before meeting in order to discuss.
Registration is required. Click on the event date above to be brought to the registration page. Those that register will be emailed login information and participation guidelines the day before each session.