Race was intentionally constructed. Come join us and together let's deconstruct it even more intentionally! |
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Check out this new monthly event series! |
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Come Help Launch a New Program
...for a Deeper Understanding of Systemic Racism
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CTTT-RVA is launching a new program called Racism At Work (RAW) to give members the opportunity to have a more in-depth conversation on, and build a deeper understanding of, systemic racism.
Danita Rountree Green, Co-CEO of CTTT-RVA, believes that RAW will play a new and important role for members: “Lately there has been a lot of very public discussion of racism in general and systemic racism in particular, and that’s all good. But what’s often missing from that discussion is an exploration of exactly what systemic racism is, and how it came to be so firmly rooted in our society. RAW will deepen our members’ knowledge of how intentional discrimination and unfairness have, over centuries, become institutionalized here in RVA and throughout America.”
RAW will consist of a series of presentations by, and conversations with, well-known and highly authoritative Subject Matter Experts. In each session, participants will drill down into how the artificial social constructs of race and racism have been systematically woven into the very fabric of the many cultural and economic sectors that stitch America together.
RAW will include sessions on Racism At Work in a wide variety of sectors, including: Politics and Political Access; Healthcare; Media and Entertainment; Employment and Career Opportunities; Property Rights and Family Wealth Building; Law and Social Justice; and Education, among others. This monthly, year-long program will be conducted on Zoom initially, and may eventually move to an in-person venue, depending on pandemic-related circumstances.
Mark your calendar for the first introductory sessions:
January 27, 2021 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Sabrina Dent, PhD
Racism and Systemic Racism: What Are They and How Do They Relate?
February 24, 2021 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Rev. Ben Campbell
Richmond’s Unhealed History: Racism in the Belly of the Beast
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Reparations 101
What is reparations? Why is it important? After this conversation not only will you gather a deeper understanding of reparations and its importance; you will also gain tools for confident conversations with others about why reparations to Black Americans is necessary if America is truly to become whole.
Tuesday December 8, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
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Touchstone: "Tell YOUR Story" |
After the results of the election were in - and were still being disputed, I realized that there is so much more to the narrative than just the election of a president. There are so many versions out there of "the story" and I realized that as important as it is to hear and listen to these stories, it is also important to tell YOUR story.
At CTTT - RVA we use the touchstones to be able to communicate in the process. Our Touchstones are guidelines we do our best to follow in all of our conversations. All 13 of them are listed in full on the national Coming To The Table website, and facilitators refer to them as they set the stage and tone for our discussions. Today I would like to highlight the importance of not only telling your truth, but in listening to the truth of others.
At CTTT, we work hard at learning and growing. We are here to understand and to become part of a new narrative through the listening and sharing of different people’s stories. In order to do this work, we must be able to speak our truth and be in a space comfortable enough to share our truth. We must speak from our own story.
Your experiences and your perceptions are important, so please say what is in your heart. Speak from that place where you are honest and vulnerable. Trust that your voice will be heard by those who truly want to hear – no matter how uncomfortable it might be for them to hear it.
Here at CTTT, your contribution will be respected, even if it is different from or even opposite of what another has said. Remember – this is your story and maybe it is one that someone else in the group may not have identified with before you spoke it. As incredible as it seems, especially when it is part of your everyday, the very fabric of your life, you can’t imagine any other way - many people out there have not truly heard and digested your truth.
And it is important with this touchstone to own your truth by speaking only for yourself. Use “I” statements when relating a story, a feeling, an opinion. Your story, your heartfelt emotions, are important for others to hear. So, speak up and speak your truth.
You are the only you in this story. And others care to listen.
Go, Touchstones!!
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Sign Up to become a Coming To The Table national member
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We encourage all CTTT - RVA members to also become members of Coming To The Table at the national level. Our local chapter is part of a big family all across our nation, under a collective umbrella.
As a member of Coming To The Table, you become part of a nationwide community committed to truth-telling, transformation and liberation.
There's no membership fee to join Coming To The Table, but the ability for CTTT to meet ever-growing needs, including providing support to our local chapter, DOES depend on the generous financial support of our members. So we hope you will contribute financially, as you are able!
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Volunteering with CTTT - RVA is a wonderful opportunity to get involved and connect with others across and within racial lines. The work you contribute is always valued as we pursue our mission of a just and truthful society that acknowledges and seeks to heal from the racial wounds of the past. We especially need those wanting to be trained and mentored as facilitators (all races, ages, genders) and we need some help behind the scenes with things like maintaining our mailing lists, for instance.
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Click below to check out our video and article libraries to help further the conversation on racism and its impact.
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~~~ Featured Documentary ~~~
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In this short documentary, produced by Dean Radcliffe-Lynes, an African American independent filmmaker, white authors and white anti-racists talk about the need to work with and organize other white people to actively combat racism, white supremacy and white privilege. “I was struck by the increasing numbers of white people participating in protests and marches in support of Black Lives Matter, particularly after the killing of George Floyd," says Dean. “They were even marching in cities and towns with little to no black people. I was curious to know if white people were finally starting to understand the injustices that black folks have endured for more than 400 years or was it just a trend? So I asked them."
You will hear from folks actively involved in anti-racist work, including Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility; Chris Crass, author of Towards the Other America; Carla Wallace, co-founder of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ); Tim Wise, author of White Like Me; and Tom DeWolf, author of Inheriting the Trade.
to watch the film and follow-up panel discussion
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“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
~~ Audry Lord
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Coming To The Table - RVA
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