Our next session or Race Conversations is this Tuesday, September 15, 6:30-7:30 via Zoom. If you plan to attend, please RSVP on this Google Form and I'll send a meeting link to you on Tuesday: https://bit.ly/2Rr9jtP
We will be discussing two chapters of So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo: Chapter 14, "What is the model minority myth?" and Chapter 15, "But what if I hate Al Sharpton?".
For me, these chapters are connected because they illuminate the ways White Supremacy functions to divide us. Oluo details various problems with the model minority myth, including the selective use of statistics related to the hugely diverse "Asian-American" group to suggest that the inequality experienced by other marginalized groups is due to deficits within these groups rather than systemic oppression. And Chapter 15 addresses the way that tone policing is wielded to isolate anti-racist leaders, organizations, or whole movements by dictating the "correct" way to fight for human rights.
Oluo examines the way that Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. have been falsely contrasted as iconic of the right and wrong ways to seek justice. She notes that this contradicts history and that MLK was considered a radical during his lifetime. Indeed, MLK spoke out against tone policing and the problems of pacing for white comfort. For example, in Letter from a Birmingham Jail he noted that "the greatest stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is ... the white moderate who is more devoted to 'order' than justice."
If you are curious about how MLK's legacy connects with the current moment, check out this recent interview with his children where they are clear that he would support BLM today: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/27/extremely-radical-martin-luther-king-jr-chil[...]oyd
And if you want to explore these issues more, please join us on Tuesday, whether you've read the chapters or not.
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