On Thursday, August 27, a dozen members of the Tri-Town and Beyond Community Read group met for a live Zoom discussion to share their thoughts and questions about the books they have been reading, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. They were joined by approximately 120 viewers on ORCTV’s Facebook page.
The Community Read group is at the halfway point in the readings and met to discuss some of the difficult issues expressed in the books. Frances Kearns started the discussion by reading an excerpt from the book, How to Be an Antiracist relating to biology and the racist idea of generalizing one’s biology with their race. Kearns spoke about the importance of not generalizing people based on their race which led to a discussion about power dynamics people face throughout their day.
Stacie Charbonneau Hess talked about the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You related to how history is taught and how history is re-thought. Discussion participants commented on their experiences on subjects such as history and biology in school related to slavery, the creation of racial hierarchy, and the experimentation on women of color to advance science was lacking. Members of the discussion noted that they can support schools to decolonize the curriculum so that students are exposed to perspectives and voices of groups that have been historically marginalized.
Other discussion topics included what it means to be nonracist versus antiracist, how policies can be racist, learning to recognize what has been accepted as normal as needing to be changed, how words and symbols of racism have been embedded in culture and accepted without understanding or knowing their meanings, and many other topics.
Action items were discussed on how people can be antiracist and work toward a more equitable society. One such step includes supporting housing policies that create affordable housing in communities such as Mattapoisett that is considering closing an elementary school due to a shrinking population of children. Jordan Pouliot Latham pointed out that such a school closure contradicts the argument that affordable housing puts a drain on community’s schools. “Our towns could be in crisis if we do not have more children in our communities,” she noted.
Educators and local leaders in the Tri-Town and beyond kicked off a “Community Read” focused on social justice on August 1. The goal of The Read is to collaboratively learn about the ways that racism plays out in society at large, as well as in the towns where we live. In addition, the hope is that through listening and learning from People of Color about lived experiences of racism, all of us will take steps to create a more equitable society—so that people of all races will be able to fulfill their potential—for the benefit of society as a whole.
Community Read Co-sponsors are: Mattapoisett Museum, Mattapoisett Free Public Library, the Tritown Against Racism Facebook group, YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts, the Elizabeth Taber Library, and The Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library.
A recording of the discussion can be viewed on ORCTV at vimeo.com/orctvcommunity.
Everyone is welcome to join the Community Reads and participate on the group’s Facebook page: Tritown and Beyond Community Read: www.facebook.com/groups/1020238101744627
To obtain copies of the books, How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi search the SAILS library network catalog at http://www.sailsinc.org/ or contact your local library.