Overcoming Racism E-News April 2014 'Like' our Facebook page to be part of the ongoing conversation. Greetings and happy spring! Mark your calendar
Overcoming Racism E-News April 2014
'Like' our Facebook page to be part of the ongoing conversation.
Greetings and happy spring! Mark your calendar now for this year's Overcoming Racism conference:
November 14-15, 2014 Overcoming Racism: Cultivating Transformation
Scroll down for more on each of these upcoming opportunities:
▪ Discussions that Encounter TONIGHT and beyond ▪ Doctrine of Discovery film & discussion April 29 ▪ YWCA of Minneapolis Racial Justice events April 22 and beyond ▪ Untold Stories free events, April 22 and beyond ▪ Health Equity Leadership Institute April 28
Discussions that Encounter facilitates open discussion about race, racism and white privilege. Join us TONIGHT April 10 at Phillips Community Center (Enter through the 11th Avenue door, check in with security, and take stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor in the cafeteria.)
Leon Rodrigues, Chief Diversity Officer at MnSCU, will lead us in a discussion honoring the life and work of Nelson Mandela. As a South African born citizen, Leon’s unique perspective on this great man and the impact he leaves on the world will be exciting for us to hear!
4/24/14 – Antonia Wilcoxon and Joo-Hee Pomplun on healthcare disparities
These events are open to all and sponsored free of charge on the second and fourth Thursday evening of each month. Notices are sent prior to each Discussion Forum with details on topic, location and directions. Contact Bill Keatts for more information or to be added to the distribution. Brotherhood Brew offers sales of organic, free-trade coffee, exotic teas, and hot cocoa at our Discussion Forums.
“Doctrine of Discovery” Documentary & Dialogue
April 29, 2014, 7:00 pm
Hamline University’s Sundin Hall
1531 Hewitt Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104
Free & open to the public.
As part of Minnesota’s inaugural Genocide Awareness Month, Healing Minnesota Stories, in cooperation with The Wesley Center for Spirituality, Service and Social Justice at Hamline University, is hosting a preview showing of the documentary film: “Doctrine of Discovery.”
A post-film dialogue will be led by filmmaker Sheldon Wolfchild, a member of the Lower Sioux Indian Community, with Steven Newcomb, founder of the Indigenous Law Institute, and Howard Vogel, professor emeritus at Hamline Law School.
Wolfchild’s film focuses on the little discussed Doctrine of Christian Discovery, the religious justification early explorers used to claim lands from indigenous nations.
Confronting Racism: Knowledge --> Skills --> Action
Tuesday, April 29
6:00-8:00 pm (Trained YWCA Racial Justice Facilitators are invited to stay for facilitation practice from 8:00–8:30 pm)
YWCA of Minneapolis Downtown
This workshop is designed for those who have an understanding of white privilege and racism, and want to acquire skills in dealing with racism as it occurs in their personal lives. The workshop will develop the participants' active listening skills, as well as help them practice skills to respond to overt racism (i.e., racist remarks), and covert racism (privilege, micro-aggressions, etc). The skills learned in this workshop can be easily applied and taught to others to create more inclusive environments in our lives, and to continue the work of eliminating racism.
Facing Race: Uncovering Five Myths that Support Racism
Thursday, May 1
6:00-8:30 pm
YWCA of Minneapolis Downtown
Understanding racism is the first step in eliminating it from our communities. In this dialogue, participants look critically at cultural beliefs and myths that perpetuate racism. Previous participants have walked away from this dialogue noting that they have more language, history and knowledge to bring into future anti-racism work. Participants learn to see racism in our society on individual and institutional levels and create action plans to make change.
How to Talk With Kids about Race
Saturday, May 10
9:00–11:00 am (Trained YWCA Racial Justice Facilitators are invited to stay for facilitation practice from 11:00–11:30 am)
YWCA of Minneapolis Midtown
Whether it's your own kids, your classroom or simply a group of kids you care about, it can be tough to know what and when to say to them about race. How do we teach kids about history without saddling them with pain, shame, guilt or hopelessness? How do we create young people who will grow into adults ready to take action and advocate for racial justice? Join us to discuss these questions and more!
Racism and Humor
Thursday, June 19
6:00-8:00 pm (Trained YWCA Racial Justice Facilitators are invited to stay for facilitation practice from 8:00–8:30 pm)
YWCA of Minneapolis Downtown
Racism and humor run hand-in-hand throughout the media and our culture. Is it OK to laugh at a racist joke? Why do so many TV shows rely on stereotypes and biases for character development and humor? Is there a healthy way to explore questions of racial justice through humor? We invite you to join us to explore the intersection of race and humor.
Untold Stories: Memory and Place
FREE and open to the public
Coordinated by The Friends of the St. Paul Library
Click here for more info on these and all events in the series
"Dispossession" April 22, 7 pm @ Minnesota History Center
Pete Daniel speaks on his book Dispossession: Discrimination Against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights. After Daniel’s presentation, Pakou Hang from the Hmong American Farmers Association, and Dale Wiehoff from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, will talk about current struggles of small farmers to keep their land.
Bdote Memory Map April 30, 7 pm @ Rondo Community Outreach Library, 461 N. Dale St.
Mona Smith – a Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota storyteller and media artist – discusses her creation of a “memory map” of the bdote area of the Mississippi and the Minnesota Rivers. This bdote (a place where two waters come together) is central to Dakota spirituality and history. Her online map contains a series of sites that have special meaning to the Dakota people.
“Whiteness in Plain View” May 7, 7 pm @ Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Ave.
Film screening: Join author, professor and filmmaker Chad Montrie for an introduction to his new documentary project, “Whiteness in Plain View,” about racial exclusion in American towns and suburbs. He uses Edina and Austin, Minnesota as case studies, describing the circumstances of labor, housing, and race for African Americans.
Jobs, Freedom, and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights May 12, 7 pm @ Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church, 585 Fuller Ave.
The successes of the civil rights movement, including passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, were built on sustained grassroots organizing linked to Black trade unions, women’s groups, and churches across the country. University of Wisconsin Professor William P. Jones offers insight into the people who undertook this struggle in his book, The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights. His presentation will be complemented by music and related readings on race, class, and work.
April is Health Equity Month. Plan to attend the Health Equity Leadership Institute.
A partnership of the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the University of Minnesota/School of Public Health.
April 28, 2014 from 8:30 until 4:30, in Minneapolis - Free!
Institute goals are to:
· Raise awareness of existing race-based inequities in health and human services
· Increase the capacity to address racial equity issues
· Explore ways to interrupt what is happening for cultural communities and
envision alternatives for change
