Fruita for Equality is a collaboration to support equality, inclusivity, and diversity through meaningful conversations and action in the community.
April 2021
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Fruita Community Read events in May
to center on book, "Rising Out of Hatred"
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A new Community Read event happening in Fruita during May will center around the book “Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist” by Eli Saslow. Accompanying discussions throughout the month will explore equality, race, diversity, and inclusivity in the Fruita community.
“Rising Out of Hatred” tells the personal story of one man who eventually disavowed everything he believed, at tremendous personal cost.
With empathy and verve, Saslow asks what the story of Derek Black – whom the author calls “the rightful heir to America’s white nationalist movement” – says about America’s increasingly divided nature.
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Copies of “Rising Out of Hatred” are available for checkout from Mesa County Libraries and for purchase through local bookstores. The book contains some coarse language and is appropriate for high school-age readers and older. |
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Community Read events will explore race, diversity, and inclusivity |
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The Fruita Community Read and discussions are organized by Fruita for Equality, an initiative to promote and support equality, inclusivity, and diversity through meaningful conversations and action in the community. Collaborators in Fruita for Equality include Mesa County Libraries, Fruita Rotary, the city of Fruita, and Lithic Bookstore and Gallery. The Community Read event is supported by a grant from the American Library Association.
The book and discussions are relevant to current events as the country wrestles with questions of race, diversity, and equality.
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Fruita for Equality Community Read and Discussion
Kickoff Event
Join us for an open-house community discussion on the topic of equality, race, diversity, and inclusivity within the community. Listen to stories from your neighbors, share ideas about change, and get involved! This event is for all ages.
This event takes place at 5 p.m. Friday, May 7, at Civic Center Park, 325 E. Aspen Ave., Fruita.
Drop in and share your story! This community engagement event is part of a larger series where the community will come together to read and discuss, and we'd love to hear your input!
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Anti-Bias Workshop, presented by Shannon Robinson
Join Shannon Robinson, a community activist, harm-reduction trainer, and member of the Positive Women's Network Colorado (PWNCO), as she helps us discover our hidden biases and how the BIPoC community is affected by bias, oppression, and stigmas at the local level.
This event takes place at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 8, in the Fruita Middle School Auditorium, 239 N. Maple St., Fruita.
In-person seating is limited. This meeting is also being held over Zoom:
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 897 3010 5625
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Healing from the Trauma of Divisiveness,
presented by Hali Nurnberg
Hali Nurnberg, a local therapist with a master's degree in international disaster psychology, shares tips to work through the trauma of divisiveness and how to heal relationships. After the presentation, she will facilitate a discussion on how to reconnect with friends, family, and neighbors and how to begin those conversations.
This event takes place at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, at Civic Center Park, 325 E. Aspen Ave., Fruita.
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How to be an Ally, presented by Black Citizens and Friends
Join Fruita for Equality for a small group-based discussion about allyship, which is the process of building supportive relationships with members of marginalized communities. The discussion will include members of Black Citizens and Friends, as well as members of other marginalized communities.
This event takes place at 5 p.m. Friday, May 21, at Civic Center Park, 325 E. Aspen Ave., Fruita.
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"Rising Out of Hatred" Community Discussion
Join us for a community discussion on the topics of racism, equality, inclusivity, and diversity as they pertain to our community. The purpose of this talk is to hear a diverse set of viewpoints and use our selected book, Rising Out of Hatred, to help guide and facilitate conversation.
This event takes place at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at Civic Center Park, 325 E. Aspen Ave., Fruita.
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Book/Media Recommendations |
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A current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today's racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide. In "So You Want to Talk about Race," editor at large of The Establishment, Ijeoma Oluo, offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro- aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word.
Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers questions and explains concepts in an understandable way. Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned, and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in "Full Frontal Feminism," and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay, "The Meaning of a Word."
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How do we talk about bias? How do we address racial disparities and inequities? What role do our institutions play in creating, maintaining, and magnifying those inequities? What role do we play?
With a perspective that is at once scientific, investigative, and informed by personal experience, Jennifer Eberhardt, Ph.D, offers us the language and courage we need to face one of the biggest and most troubling issues of our time. She exposes racial bias at all levels of society — in neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and the criminal justice system. She also offers tools to address it. Eberhardt shows how we can be vulnerable to bias but not doomed to live in its grip.
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Event report: Allyship Panel Discussion |
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Fruita for Equality's most recent event, held Saturday, April 3, was a success! The event was an Allyship Panel Discussion with representatives from Black Citizens and Friends, LGBTQ+, and Latinx/Chicano! We had great questions and an amazing conversation about allyship. |
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If you haven’t had a chance to answer the questions from our in-person event, Start the Conversation, last September, please do so! |
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A NOTE TO READERS
You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are a patron of Mesa County Libraries and/or have signed up to receive news about Fruita for Equality. This newsletter is sent monthly (with occasional special editions) to keep you informed about what’s happening with Fruita for Equality. Mesa County Libraries value your privacy and will not share your email address or other information with anyone. You can update your library e-newsletter subscriptions by visiting the "Update Profile" link at the bottom of this newsletter. You can also remove yourself from all library e-newsletter lists by visiting the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this newsletter.
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