"Now is the Time" update and community opportunity

We had the third of five sessions of “Now is the Time,“ A Study Guide for the ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent.

The discussion last Sunday centered around this video:

“What is Systemic Racism in America”

Two of the questions that we responded to relating to the video were:

Based on the video and the prior discussion, how do you see and understand racism as baked into the pie of the United States?
In the video, Ijeoma Oluo says, “You may have played a role even if you have the best intention.” How do you react to that statement and its implication for how we participate within larger systems?

Faustina Menseh was with us and shared her experience and insight that we can’t lump all people of color together. Here are some resources to help unpack that truth.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

3min version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drj0cZTBhUI

The novel, Americanah, is about a young Nigerian woman arriving to study in the U.S. and confronting new realities about race, gender, and culture. It won the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Fiction award.

Additionally, the discussion addressed the way that social media has forever changed our minds and our world. Solveig recommended that everyone read this book: “The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World.”

The discussion continues this Sunday, February 19, with session four. All are invited even if you did not participate previously.

Finally, there is a community opportunity next Tuesday, February 21^st.

The 4th Annual Black History Month Community Celebration

"Honoring Our History & Envisioning Our Future"

Presented by ACSD Andrew Jackson Davison Club

6:00PM Athens Middle School Auditorium

(See Attachment Below)

Resources:

Click here to watch the Presentation of ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent and response.

Click here to access the declaration and study documents.

Click here for an explanation of the declaration.

Click here for a helpful article regarding racism and slavery from PBS.