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Accepting that the underlying racism on which our country was founded has shaped and affected the lives of all Americans, we set out to learn about, examine, and face that those of us whose lives have been lived with the shield of white privilege need to consider our positions, actions and our unconscious biases.
We started with the basic didactic readings of How to Be an Antiracist by Ibraham X. Kendi, The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee, and The 1619 Project, edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones. We then read books by James Baldwin, Colson Whitehead, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Bryan Stevenson, Clint Smith, James McBride, Zora Neale Hurston, and many others. We also shared major articles, both written in the past and in current media with ongoing regularity.
Over the years, the group had 7-9 consistent members, with others joining for a while and then moving on. We worked at examining our society, culture, and ourselves. We all felt this was important, albeit difficult, work that was necessary to do, and which definitely helped us to gain insights and perspective on our country, our lives, and even our personal actions and choices.
We’re proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve grown. We are now taking a break and we hope to put this work into action at this most perilous time in our country.
We thank Acadia Senior College for supporting us throughout this time and will keep ASC informed should we regroup.
Ellen Dohmen, facilitator
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