As we observe the 92nd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth and more than 50 years after his assassination, we remember that his example and lessons are more important than ever. As we pause to honor Dr. King’s legacy and consider current events in our country, NVCC’s Center for Racial Dialogue and Communal Transformation has thoughtfully responded. Kathy Taylor, J.D., Professor of Legal Studies and Co-Chair of the Center, noted. “We will not simply look to the events of January 6th; instead, we will also consider long ago planted seeds of hate, greed, and hypocrisy that led to our predictable and precarious present. Most significantly, we will ask questions that we all must answer to make our America, our state, and our college community a more perfect union.”
Naugatuck Valley Community College’s Center for Racial Dialogue and Communal Transformation continues to be a vehicle for dialogue, action, and the propagation of justice, freedom, and equality, speaking out against injustice, racism, and any threat to our beloved country.
https://nv.edu/student-life/what-to-do/center-for-racial-dialogue-and-communal-transformation
The Center’s mission is “to facilitate courageous conversations and promote positive change and healing in our community by providing opportunities for students, faculty, staff and community members to engage in respectful dialogue and learning opportunities concerning diversity and equity.”
This semester’s theme, Highest Ideals, Deepest Demons, will examine the lies America tells itself about race that prevent it from achieving its lofty aspirations. Through book discussions and reading challenges the Center will engage in a critical exploration of the historic, ongoing, and tangled web of noble values, contradictory racial realities, and the original sin that stunts and destabilizes the core of American identity.
Spring 2021 Calendar of Events:
Begin Again Book Discussion
In his latest book, “drawn partially from newly uncovered interviews—with history, memoir, and trenchant analysis of our current moment,” Begin Again is Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude’s endeavor, following James Baldwin, to bear witness to the difficult truth of race in America today. To read a review, click here. Participants are asked to consider buying the book or borrowing from your local library.
Join us Mondays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
2/22, 3/8, 3/29, & 4/12
https://ctedu.webex.com/meet/KTaylor1nvcc.commnet.edu
The Podcast After Listening Party
Professor Kathy Taylor and Tim Magee, Bridge to College Director, will facilitate a “listening party” following the Peabody-nominated 14-part Scene on Radio Series, Seeing White. The podcast tells stories exploring human experience and American society and Season 2, Seeing White, explores the history and meaning of whiteness. Participants will examine the American conversation about race and the stories we tell ourselves about it. To listen, click here.
Join us Thursday afternoons from 1 to 2 p.m.
2/18, 3/4, 3/25, 4/8, & 4/22
https://ctedu.webex.com/meet/KTaylor1nvcc.commnet.edu
To RSVP, please email Kathy Taylor at ktaylor1@nv.edu.