White Privilege and Practices of Social Justice: A Symposium 

White privilege is the other side of racism that benefits those commonly understood as white and thereby oppressing those who are not white. This symposium seeks to examine the presence and impacts of white privilege on theologically centered social justice practices to allow participants to explore issues of white privilege, race/racism, diversity, sexism, religion/ religious normativity, social justice. The Symposium, sponsored by National Alliance of Pan African Seminarians (NAPAS) at the Iliff School of Theology, will provide honest dialogue and practical skill-building for participants concerned with dismantling systems of oppression that directly and indirectly implicate various social institutions in the United States.

May 7, 2014 - Half-Day Symposium
Noon-9 p.m.
Iliff School of Theology  •  2323 East Iliff Avenue  •  Denver

Noon-1 p.m.     Lunch Break
        Opening Address: NAPAS President Jah Latchman, J.D.

1-2:30 p.m.     Film Screening: "White Like Me" & Talk Back
In this completely revised, “Remix” version of his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me, Tim Wise explores how racial identity and whiteness influence the lives of white Americans, by examining how they have impacted his own life. Wise examines what it means to be white in a nation created for the benefit of those who are “white like him,” and how privilege seeps into every institutional arrangement, from education to employment to the justice system. Importantly, he also discusses the ways that white privilege can ultimately harm its recipients in the long run and make progressive social change less likely. Through personal storytelling and convincing analysis, Wise makes the case that racial inequity and white privilege are real and persistent threats to personal and collective well-being, but that resistance to white supremacy and racism is possible.

3-4 p.m.     Film Screening: "Cracking the Codes" & Talk Back
From Shakti Butler, the director of “The Way Home: Women Talk About Race in America”and
“Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible,” comes a new film that asks America to talk about the causes and consequences of systemic inequity. Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial
Inequity features moving stories from racial justice leaders including Amer Ahmed, Michael Benitez, Barbie-Danielle DeCarlo, Joy DeGruy, Ericka Huggins, Humaira Jackson, Yuko Kodama, Peggy McIntosh, Rinku Sen, Tilman Smith and Tim Wise.

4-5 p.m.      Dinner Break

5-7 p.m.     Panel:
Resisting Theologies of Whiteness as Social Justice Practitioners

Panelists:
Miguel de la Torre, Ph.D, Iliff Professor of Social Ethics
Marilyn Stranske, Together Colorado Organizer
Bruce McCluggage, Instructor Pikes Peak Community College
Felicia George, Doctoral Student ILIFF/DU
Joshua Bartholemew, Doctoral Student ILIFF/DU
Moderator: Heike Peckruhn, Ph.D, Iliff and DU Instructor

7-9 p.m.     Keynote & Book Signing: 
Abolishing White Masculinity from Mark Twain to Hiphop
Stephany Rose, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor UCCS, Iliff MDiv. Student