#GivingTuesday
Today is #GivingTuesday, a tradition celebrated since 2012 as a day to give something back to our community through volunteer work or donations to local charities and nonprofits.

In that spirit, we ask you to consider making a donation to the Center for Reconciliation, to support our ongoing work of effecting the social change that leads to racial justice and reconciliation.

TODAY ONLY If you make a donation through our Facebook fundraiser, Facebook will match your donation and ALL #GivingTuesday donations up to a total of $7 million!
Upcoming Events
The Color of Law:
A Conversation with Richard Rothstein

Thursday, December 13, 7-9 p.m.
Temple Beth-E l
70 Orchard Ave., Providence, RI 
Join Temple Beth-El for an evening with Richard Rothstein, author of the powerful book, “The Color Of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.”

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Reconciliation.

In previous accounts analyzing the relationship between housing policy and racial segregation, social historians have propagated the myth that cities were divided by  de facto  segregation – that is, by the consequences of individual prejudice, income inequality, banking policies and real estate practices.

Rothstein’s book, which has received widespread literary acclaim, explodes that myth and exposes the story of our government’s housing policies – on the federal, state and local levels – that were created with the  intention  of encouraging and fostering racial segregation.

“The Color of Law” focuses on many social justice themes, such as housing, racial discrimination, public education, employment, gentrification, income inequality, reconciliation and justice. 

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to [email protected] .
The Art of Race: Costumes & Textiles

Thursday, January 17, 6-7:30 p.m.
The RISD Museum
20 North Main St., Providence, RI 
Earlier this month, the CFR hosted its final “Art of Race” event of the year – but not to worry! The program will return in January with more exciting opportunities to explore and discuss special items from the RISD Museum collections.

“The Art of Race” is an ongoing series of art tours coordinated by the CFR with a special focus on the racial history and significance of rarely displayed objects from the RISD Museum’s collections.

The tours are held as part of the RISD Museum’s monthly “ Third Thursday ” program and led by Elon Cook Lee, program director and curator at the CFR, in collaboration with curators and experts from the RISD Museum.

The next event in this popular series will be held at the RISD Museum on Thursday, January 17, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. For more details and to register for the event, visit the Eventbrite page .

Space is limited, so be sure to register in advance. The suggested donation for this event is $10. Please note that all donations go toward ensuring that the CFR can continue hosting public programs that are open to all regardless of ability to give.
CFR News & Updates
Souls of College Hill ” ghost tour
an eerie and engaging success
On November 3, the CFR celebrated All Souls Day with our event Souls of College Hill: A Walking Tour of Slavery s Haunted Legacy, a special performance created and produced by Elon Cook Lee, program director and curator at the CFR.

Elon and a cast of CFR staff and volunteers presented a live reenactment of moments in the lives of several 18th-century Providence residents who were deeply affected by the Rhode Island slave trade.

The CFR ’s first “ghost tour” was so successful that we sold out of tickets more than a week before the event, and we have already received requests for an encore performance!
photography © Levi Picard
College Hill walking tour
suspended until spring
As the days shorten and the weather gets colder, the CFR s regularly scheduled walking tour, College Hill and the International Slave Trade, has concluded for 2018. Watch for news of the spring 2019 tour schedule, starting in April 2019.

Would your church or school group like to schedule a special tour next spring? Let us know by sending an email to [email protected] .
CFR welcomes new staff member
We recently welcomed a new addition to our CFR team! Galen Auer joined the Center for Reconciliation in September, taking on the role of office manager and program assistant.
 
Born and raised in Rhode Island, Galen is a writer and community advocate with a particular focus on intersectional social justice. They have spent the last two years volunteering with local organizations in Providence and working to effect legislative and policy changes affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
 
Galen received their B.A. in journalism and Mandarin Chinese from the University of Rhode Island. Prior to their employment with the CFR, they worked as a freelance writer and editor for several local newspapers, including Providence Business News.
Racial Justice Events Calendar
Two Staged Readings by Rose Weaver
Saturday, December 8, 2:30-3:15 p.m.
Southside Cultural Center

Sally: A Black Woman's Journey from Africa to Enslavement in Rhode Island, is a staged reading that dramatizes the journey of the Slave Ship Sally and an African woman, renamed Sally, from her capture in West Africa through the Middle Passage to her enslavement in Rhode Island. It shines a light on the enslavement of Black women in Rhode Island.

Black Women Taking Off the Mask is a new script exploring the artist s feeling that American Black Women wrestle with knowing authentic love and thus wear masks when it comes to showing genuine feelings. We grin politely around others to fit in with societal expectations instead of true expressing ourselves and our thoughts, thereby allowing the world to think we have no problems.

Curated and edited by Rose Weaver, MFA, a former member of the Trinity Repertoire Company and CEO of Waterspill Junction, Inc., an education through the arts nonprofit organization.



Slavery, Capitalism, and the Making of the Modern World
Monday, December 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Guest speakers Jennifer Morgan, Seth Rockman, and Anthony Bogues will speak on slavery, capitalism, and the making of the modern world at this event co-sponsored by the Brown University Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

Jennifer Morgan is chair and professor of history in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University. Seth Rockman is the associate professor of history at the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. Anthony Bogues is the Asa Messer Professor of Humanities and Critical Theory, professor of Africana studies, and director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

The Center for Reconciliation maintains a Racial Justice Events Calendar, sharing events around the state that connect with our mission of racial reconciliation. The calendar is updated monthly.

If you would like to display your upcoming racial justice event on our calendar, please email  [email protected]  with your name, your organization, and a summary of the event, along with any relevant links.

To view the calendar,   visit our website .
Further Resources
"Nobody Looks Like Me" "The Nod" podcast on Stitcher Radio. You’ve heard of the Little Rock Nine, but what about the Memphis 13? Eric talks to a man whose parents put him on the front lines of the battle for public school desegregation.... when he was only five years old. To listen CLICK HERE .

"What We So Proudly Hail" "Code Switch" podcast on Stitcher Radio. "The Star-Spangled Banner" is kind of a mess: notoriously tough to sing and with some weird stanzas about slavery. This week, we're looking at two of the country's other anthems with their own messy histories to find out what those songs tell us about American ideals. To listen CLICK HERE .

Faith Leaders Statement on Race and Misogyny. Faith leaders from many traditions, including Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal church, share the reading of a powerful statement about faith and race/gender. To listen, CLICK HERE .

Why "I'm Not a Racist" Is Only Half the Story. Big Think Science Videos. An explanation of how white people react to definitions of "racist," given by Robin DiAngelo, author of "White Fragility." To listen, CLICK HERE .

"The Hate U Give" Is a Powerful Movie, and Not Just for Your Teens. Movie review by Ty Burr, "Boston Globe," October 10, 2018. I’d say  “The Hate U Give”  is the most important movie your teenagers will see this year, but that would be selling it short for yourself. So maybe go see it together. If they’ll have you. To read review, CLICK HERE . To watch trailer, CLICK HERE .

To Be Race Blind Is to be Simply Blind. Editorial, Boston Globe, October 12, 2018. Addresses the Harvard admissions discrimination suit currently before the United States Supreme Court. To read, CLICK HERE.


All CFR newsletters are available on our website. To read, CLICK HERE .
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