It’s Time to Talk about Race and Justice

In Charlotte, Civil Rights, criminal justice, Education, Home, Local Level Advocacy, North Carolina, Policy, Queens University, Racial Justice, Racial Justice - Local Level Advocacy, Racial Justice - State Level Advocacy, Restorative Justice, Social Change, Social Justice, State Level Advocacy by Donna TarneyLeave a Comment

In the 1960s and 1970s, an interesting notion took shape in the United States: racial colorblindness. The idea, which was born in mostly white communities, was that we had advanced so far as a society that the color of a person’s skin no longer played a part in how we treated each other.

The catchphrase “I don’t see color, I see a person” allowed people to ignore real cultural differences and the legacy of historical crimes related to black and brown communities in our country. It also allowed for racially motivated actions to hide behind the “post racial” façade that was slowly being built in the U.S.

Here at Queens, the Greenspon Center continues to explore this issue in our Call to Action: Criminal Justice Education Series, which will take place on Tuesday evenings from October 29th through November 12th.  This education and advocacy series brings together a diverse group of local and national leaders seeking major changes in the criminal justice system. The goal is to educate, infuriate, inspire, and hopefully enlist people from our community to fight for racial equality in all aspects of life.

The series culminates with the highly anticipated visit to Queens University by Michelle Alexander, the critically acclaimed author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.

Dr. Willie Keaton will lead an exploration of her book on October 14th from 7:00 – 8:30pm in the Everett Library at Queens University. The Learning Society at Queens University is thrilled to be bringing Michelle Alexander to our community on November 19th at 7:00pm in the Belk Theater in Uptown Charlotte.  Tickets for the lecture with Michelle Alexander can be purchased at Carolinatix.org.

Michelle Alexander will lead a conversation on ending the racial caste in America while providing a new perspective on the challenges facing the civil rights community and a call-to-action for a multi-racial, multi-ethnic human rights movement for justice in America.

RSVP to Dr. Keaton for the book discussion on October 14th

Click Here for more information on the Call to Action series

To register for Michelle Alexander’s lecture sponsored by the Learning Society, please visit the Queens University website.

 

 

 

 

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