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.
October, 2021
Book: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
October is Indigenous Peoples Month. In this book historian and Native American Dunbar-Ortiz describes and analyzes a four hundred-year span of complex Indigenous struggles against the colonization of the Americas. This book highlights the resultant conflicts, wars, betrayals, and Indigenous strategies and sites of resistance.
An HBO/HBOMAX Documentary Film:Siempre, Luis
When Luis A. Miranda Jr., left Puerto Rico for New York City in the 1970s, he had big dreams, but little did he know how far he would go. Siempre, Luis follows Miranda over the course of the next 3 decades as his devotion to family and country propels his insatiable appetite for empowering his fellow Latinos/Latinas. With humor and heart, this documentary dives into Miranda's passionate, patriotic, family-focused world. Siempre, Luis ultimately tells the story of a proud American whose lifetime dedication to community and fatherhood has rendered him an unstoppable force for the common good.
Essay:Ten Ways to Combat Diversity Fatigue by Dr. Arin N. Reeves
Are you experiencing Diversity Fatigue? Some of the common symptoms include: feeling fed up with hearing and talking about the subject; confusion about ways to mitigate these problems; anxiety about talking about this topic for fear of saying something wrong or offensive. Dr. Arin N. Reeves, the founder of The Athens Group, a consulting firm specializing in diversity strategies, has written an essay that may offer some helpful suggestions for a way forward. To read it click here.
Podcast:The 1968 Kerner Report, an Unheeded Warning about the Consequences of Racism
In 1967, in the wake of violent racial unrest in Detroit, President Lyndon B. Johnson assembled the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders to investigate what had happened. In the final analysis, known as the Kerner Report, the Commission named white racism—no euphemisms—as the root cause of unrest in the United States, and said that the country was “moving toward two societies, one Black, one White—separate and unequal.” The report called for sweeping changes and investments in jobs, housing, policing, and more. This New Yorker Radio Hour Podcast is an interview with Senator Fred Harris, the last living member of the Commission. Senator Harris describes this report as “an unheeded warning” as America still struggles today to acknowledge and mitigate the reality of systematic racism. To hear this podcast: click here.
Two Special Penn’s Village Events in October You Will Want to Attend
Program: Puzzled About Pronouns?
A rapidly growing movement to use personal pronouns that correctly acknowledge and respect each person's gender identity has piqued the interest of the Penn's Village Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee. Together with the Program Committee, we have invited Erin Cross, Director of Penn's LGBT Center, to introduce us to this phenomenon. (Register Here for the October 18th program)
To assist us in our understanding of how using correct personal pronouns promotes inclusion and respect, we have developed a brief Tutorial on the topic. We encourage members to read the Tutorial in preparation for the live program, or afterwards as a way to help clarify some of the concepts (you can find the recorded programs on the website). After you have attended or viewed the Program and/or reviewed the Tutorial, we also invite you to provide some Feedback. This will help us understand member support for adopting the practice of sharing of personal pronouns as part of Penn’s Village’s organizational culture.
A Latin American Festival and Chocolate Extravaganza
On Sunday, October 24 from noon until 5 pm in the Italian Market on 9th Street there will be a festival featuring Latin American music and dancing and a demonstration showing how chocolate is made. Penn’s Village Program Committee is co-sponsoring this free event with a Latino/Latina organization (Raices Culturales Latino Americanas) and the owner of the chocolate store at 9th & Federal Streets.