Over the Fall 2020 semester, the Racial Justice Task Force has been working to create the foundation for our report and recommendations. After a semester filled with discussions and reflections, the Task Force has begun the process of crafting the report, which will be made available to campus in Spring 2021. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared your perspectives and insights.
Creating an anti-racist community requires active engagement and capacity building. We are excited to share several learning opportunities that will be available in the spring and encourage you to mark your calendars now. Registration and details will be made available in early 2021.
Workshops and Speakers
MLK Celebration Workshop: Storytelling as a Tool for Activism with LaTosha Brown
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
2:00-3:30 pm
Zoom Details to Come
Join the MLK Celebration Planning Committee for a workshop featuring LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund. This workshop will explore the power of storytelling as a tool for political activism and organizing. LaTosha is the Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter, Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute. These initiatives are designed to boost Black voter registration and turnout, as well as increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities.
Annual Barbara Paul-Emile Lecture in English and Media Studies
Thursday, February 18, 2021
6:30-8:00 pm
Zoom Details to Come
The Department of English and Media Studies is proud to announce the annual Barbara Paul-Emile Lecture. The evening will be devoted to a panel on “Anti-Blackness in American Life,” with speakers Lisa Corrigan, Alfred L. Martin, Jr., and Anjali Vats talking about their recent books that span history, gender studies, American studies, critical race studies, media studies, cultural studies, and legal studies. This event is co-sponsored by the Valente Center for Arts & Sciences, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Sustainability and the Multicultural Center.
Race on Campus: Debunking Myths with Data
Thursday, April 1, 2021
2:00-3:20 pm
Zoom Details to Come
Dr. Julie J Park will offer a talk and Q&A on her book, Race on Campus: Debunking Myths with Data. Dr. Park, an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park will discuss the state of race relations on college campuses in America from a data-driven perspective. She will be joined by Dr. Noah Giansiracusa, Assistant Professor in the Mathematics Department at Bentley, for a Q&A on the power of data to dispel common myths about the impact of race on campus.
This event is co-sponsored by the Mathematics Department, the Racial Justice Task Force and the Valente Center for Arts & Sciences.
Discussion and Dialogue Groups
Racial Healing Practice Challenge
We are happy to announce that if you missed the opportunity to participate in the Fall, the Racial Healing Practice Challenge will once again be offered in the Spring to students, faculty, and staff. Past participants are encouraged to become moderators for this new round of the challenge to develop leadership and facilitation skills. Newly formed or existing groups will be invited to register in January and the challenge will begin in February. Adapted from The Racial Healing Handbook developed by Dr. Anneliese A. Singh, this eight-week experience provides practical reflection exercises and group discussion guides to aid in the collective healing from the impacts of systemic racism in our society.
Whiteness Accountability Group
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion is launching a new Bentley Brave offering, open to faculty and staff who identify as white, designed to raise race consciousness and confront behaviors that promote a white supremacy culture. The Whiteness Accountability Group creates a space to discuss participants' experiences as racialized individuals openly and bravely; grapple with the multiple ways whiteness, white supremacy, and racism show up in our lives and actions; and prepare individuals to better interrupt racism in the moment. Focused on accountability, this facilitated group will push participants past overwhelming feelings of fear and apathy towards intentional accountability and action. The ideal participant will have already begun the journey of examining their own racial identity and will be ready to engage in open, honest, and direct conversation about race with a small group of individuals on a similar path.
More information about the group and an opportunity to apply for the group will be shared in January. Please contact Matt Banks (matthewbanks@bentley.edu) with any questions.