In 2016, WRAG led a groundbreaking effort called Putting Racism on the Table. The goal was to promote learning and understanding about the depth, breadth, and impact of racism among the leadership of philanthropic institutions in the region. Now, we are partnering with Leadership Greater Washington to expand the regional, cross-sector network of philanthropic, nonprofit, and business leaders who understand racism and are committed to working for racial justice. Together, we are Expanding the Table for Racial Equity.
Our goal: Grow the network of people committed to promoting and working together for racial equity in the Greater Washington region.
Our process: Inform. Engage in a conversation. Move to action.
Note: This series is now sold out. Each session will be filmed and available at www.puttingracismonthetable.org.
Session 2: Structural Racism
Speaker: Dr. Ibram Kendi, Author, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and Founding Director, Anti-Racist Research and Policy Center, American University
The racial disparities in society today are perpetuated by structures and systems that benefit some and disadvantage others. Dr. Kendi will explore the deep historical roots of these structures and their current realities. Following the lecture, participants will examine what they can do to alter the structures that have led to existing societal inequities. This discussion will be facilitated by Inca Mohamed.
About Dr. Kendi:
Ibram X. Kendi is an award-winning scholar of racism and antiracism and a New York Times best-selling author. His second book, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, won the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction. At 34 years old, he was the youngest-ever winner of the NBA for Nonfiction. Stamped was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and a NAACP Image Award. Stamped was named to several Best Books of 2016 lists, including by the Boston Globe, The Root, The Washington Post, and Buzzfeed.
Professor Kendi is the author of the award-winning book, The Black Campus Movement: Black Students and the Racial Reconstitution of Higher Education, 1965-1972. He has published 14 essays in books and referred academic journals, including The Journal of African American History, Journal of Social History, and Journal of Black Studies. He has published commentaries in The New York Times, Salon, Time, The Washington Post, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has provided commentary on NPR, PBS, CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, NBC, Democracy Now!, and Sirius XM. He has received research fellowships, grants, and visiting appointments from a variety of universities, foundations, professional associations, and libraries, including the Library of Congress, National Academy of Education, Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis, Brown University, and Princeton University.
Professor Kendi is the co-editor of the new Black Power Series with NYU Press, and he is the associate editor of Black Perspectives. His next book, which will be published by One World/Random House, is tentatively titled, How to Be an Antiracist: A Memoir of My Journey.