Race: Are We So Different?

The “Race: Are We So Different” Exhibit will be at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History from February 9th until May 27th, 2013. The race exhibit is a part of a larger initiative called The Understanding Race Project at the University of Michigan which seeks to explore

“the idea of race as a social construct that has no biological basis, and as an idea that grows in meaning when examined at the intersections of other identities, such as gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and religion. The Understanding Race Project offers myriad opportunities for conversations about race, emphasizing student engagement, highlighting local experience and expertise, and looking beyond the black/white dichotomy.”

The Understanding Race Project also has a community engagement component which desires to:

“continue to promote racial justice, by addressing, in perpetuity, the issue of racism within each of the following eight major institutional systems through which it operates: housing, economics/wealth, judiciary/law enforcement, health care, education, politics, culture, and transportation.”

The Community Engagement Committee is composed of some dedicated individuals, including Zarinah El-Amin Naeem, Community Engagement Liason. Zarinah was also featured in Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian’s The People who Inspire Series.

In partnership with the community engagement committee, I’m going to be a part of a team of  Racial Justice Facilitators who will assist community members who visit the exhibit in exploring race on a deeper level. I participated in a facilitator’s training this past weekend that was very impactful. In some of my future notes, I’m going to share some resources I received from the training that can be helpful to you from a facilitator’s standpoint, as well as videos and articles.

To learn more about the race exhibit, visit understandingrace.org

Grace & Peace,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins, MSW

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