Each month Penn's Village Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee will recommend four resources to help our members and friends to be more informed and aware, and perhaps even inspired to action, concerning the racial biases in each of us and in our society and the resulting inequities, past and present. These resources will represent different mediums, different perspectives and experiences, and diverse authors.
November, 2020
Book: Waking up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
This book is a wake-up call for all of us who want to consciously contribute to racial justice rather than unconsciously perpetuate patterns of racism. With a gift for storytelling, Debby Irving shares her own experiences of transformation--a journey of opening herself to learning about the realities of racism and the unintended impacts of white privilege. By confronting her own fears and mistakes, she gleans many useful lessons that can help move us from confusion and avoidance to constructive engagement and courageous actions.
YouTube Video: A 60 Minutes interview with Sherrilyn Ifill, President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
On May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis George Floyd's death during his arrest by four white police officers sparked two weeks of nationwide protests and many serious reflections and contentious conversations that continue to this day. Early in June at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia Bill Whitaker spoke with Ms. Ifill about where we Americans might go from here to heal our racial misunderstandings and divisions. To access this interview, please click this link or paste the following script into your browser: https://youtu.be/Yt8knGzOCXg
Article: What Is "The Talk" White Parents Should Have with White Children by Madeleine Rogin
This brief, pragmatic essay written by Madeleine Rogin begins, "If you are a White parent of a White child, and you are having some aha moments about the extent, depth, and prevalence of racism in our country...talk to your children." Ms. Rogin says she is not suggesting "a talk about kindness in general, or the beauty of diversity, or how we can celebrate our differences, though those talks are also important." "The talk I am speaking of is much harder for White parents to have. It is the truth about bias and racism and how we all have it." This article ends with five suggested talking points.
To access this article, please paste the following script into your browser:
https://www.embracerace.org/resources/what-is-the-talk-white-parents-should-have-with-white-children
Film: 13th A 2016 documentary by director Ava DuVernay is available on Netflix
This film explores the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States." Its title comes from the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery in America and ended involuntary servitude except as punishment for the conviction of a crime. DuVernay documents how following the Civil War slavery was perpetuated by legislating many behaviors as crimes and then arresting, convicting, and incarcerating the poor, especially from minority communities.