Each month the Penn's Village Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee recommends several resources to help our members and friends to be more aware of the racial biases in each of us and in our society, and the resulting inequities, past and present. It is the Committee’s hope that this information may even inspire us to make corrective changes. These resources, assembled by Lori Dumas and Mike Pulsifer, represent different mediums, different perspectives and experiences, and diverse authors.
August, 2021
New York Times’ Opinion Piece: “How Racist Is America?” by David Brooks
In his Friday, July 23, 2021, essay David Brooks asks: “Is America even now a white supremacist nation? Or is racism mostly a part of America’s past, something we’ve largely overcome? Or are we somewhere in-between?” To answer this question, Brooks examines the wealth gap and immigrant experiences compared to the experiences of Native Americans and African-Americans. He writes about marriage between the races and the projections of America becoming a majority-minority country. To read this informative, thought provoking article click on this link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/22/opinion/how-racist-is-america.html
Podcast:James Baldwin’s Shadow
As we Americans continue to reckon with our history of systemic racism and police brutality, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., guides us through the meaning and purpose of James Baldwin's work and how his words can help us navigate the current moment. This 46-minute podcast produced by National Public Radio begins with these recorded words from Baldwin: “Until the moment comes when we the Americans - we the American people - are able to accept the fact that I have to accept, for example, that my ancestors are both white and Black - that on that continent, we are trying to forge a new identity for which we need each other. Until this moment, there is scarcely any hope for the American dream because the people who are denied participation in it, by their very presence, will wreck it.” To hear this podcast click on this link:https://www.npr.org/2021/04/27/991219491/james-baldwins-shadow?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20210429&utm_term=5351320&utm_campaign=books&utm_id=53350177&orgid=&utm_att1=
YouTube Video: A Never-Before-Aired James Baldwin 1979 Interview
If you are interested in learning more about the life and insights of James Baldwin, you can view this segment produced for 20/20 that was never shown by ABC. It reveals a unique glimpse into Baldwin’s private life as well as his observations about the racial crisis in America which continue to be as relevant today as they were more than 40 years ago. This YouTube video can be seen by clicking on this link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a36727428/james-baldwin-1979-abc-interview-buried-surfaced
Film:Selma
This 2014 movie starring David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Wilkinson and directed by a Black woman, Ava DuVernay, won 4 Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture, and received 2 Oscar Nominations, including Best Motion Picture. This film is particularly relevant today because of the continuing debate about voting rights in America. It dramatizes Black Americans’ struggles to register to vote well into the 1960s culminating in their epic march from Selma to Montgomery and President Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. You may view this film for free on your DVR and the USA Network or rent it for less than $4 on Paramount.
Film:Summer of Soul
This new documentary, featuring rarely seen footage, captures the magic of a 1969 music festival held at Mount Morris Park in Harlem, attended by 300,000 people. The festival, which celebrated Black history, culture and music, had long been forgotten in the shadow of that other New York music festival, Woodstock. It can be seen at the Landmark Ritz Five and on Hulu. To see the trailer for this film and a YouTube video of a segment of CBSSunday Morning about this festival google Summer of Soul.