A Conversation about Race - Mitchell Library - A Good Thing

[N'Zinga Shani]

A CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE - MITCHELL LIBRARY THIS EVENING - WAS A GOOD THING.  KUDOS TO ALL WHO MADE IT HAPPEN AND TO THE PERFORMERS OF CLYBOURNE PARK.

THE LESSONS OF THE EVENING (in my humble opinion) were:

1) Don't judge a book by its cover.  We need to read the contents.  Listen to the stories of the lives of others; learn from them.

2) Spend time with our children and the children over whom we have influence.  Listen to them.  Ask them questions.  Allow them to ask us questions and be thoughtful in our responses.

3) Tell the children the truth as we know it; share our history.  Talk about the errors we and others have made; talk about how we can correct those errors so they will not be repeated.

4)  Inspire children.  Let them know that education is the gateway to a successful future.  Teach them to VALUE learning and that success is about much more than having money. Empathize!

5)  Encourage children to think critically; practice with them and model for them the behaviors we want them to exhibit.

6) New Haven is a rich and diverse community; let us all try to discover and embrace what is great about New Haven, and let us ALL try to contribute positively to making it a BETTER place for all.

Links: http://www.oneworldpi.org/multicultural_resources/black_history.html

Twenty-First Century Color Lines: Multiracial Change in Contemporary America

civilrightsproject.ucla.edu › Research › College Access › Diversity‎

Twenty-First Century Color Lines offers a wide variety of new perspectives about moving from the traditional racial issues of the U.S. toward an understanding of a vastly more complex multiracial setting. http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/college-access/diversit...