Watch the past conversations here.
WE CAN’T BREATHE
Virtual Conversations on Systemic Racism
FREE and open to everyone, ASL interpreted
We are asking participants to register separately for each session they wish to join. Please find the green “Register” links for each upcoming conversation below.
Join the ASDIC (Antiracism Study Dialogue Circles) and FREC (Facilitating Racial Equity Collective) communities as we respond to this historical moment.
In light of the murder of George Floyd and countless police killings of Black and Brown people, the world is reassessing the role of both police and society at large in addressing system-wide and structural racism. We wish to look at what this moment is about, how it connects to America’s history of systemic racism, and the forces that continue to sustain racism in Minnesota and the nation.
With the support of Professor Joe R. Feagin of Texas A&M University, along with Minnesota antiracist activists and scholars, we will host four 90-minute conversations over the summer. We will be on Zoom with a short breakout session after each conversation.
There is no fee for these workshops, but your tax-deductible donation will allow us to continue to offer ASDIC’s unique antiracism trainings in our community and beyond. Suggested donation in support of this programming is $5 per session. Donate here.
Please register for each workshop you plan to join to receive a Zoom link one hour in advance of the session. If our Zoom meeting fills or you have connection issues, we will also post a recording of the session on Antiracism Study Dialogue Circle’s YouTube channel after each conversation.
1. Foundational Context
Sunday, June 21
2-3:30pm CST
Register
Introduction to immediate events: the complexities of Minnesota’s history with Native & Black communities, the Minneapolis police (history of reforms without cultural change), and the history of racial injustice in Minnesota. How is Minnesota a reflection of the United States’ history with race and other core issues?
Three 15-minute presentations by guests Melvin Giles, Elizabeth Tannen, and Beverly Bushyhead
15-minute dialogue among speakers
25-minute Q&A with speakers
Optional post-conversation breakout session
Joe Feagin will present with two local antiracist activists. How does the killing of George Floyd manifest the White Racial Frame? What is meant by systemic racism and how it is evidenced in the killing of black Americans? What is some of the relevant history here?
Three 15-minute presentations by guests Joe Feagin, Michael McDowell, and Leon Rodrigues
15-minute dialogue among speakers
25-minute Q&A with speakers
Optional post-conversation breakout session
Joe Feagin will present with two local antiracist activists. What are the political-economic causes and impacts of the Black revolts in Minneapolis? How should we understand the underlying conditions that caused them, as well as the police violence that precipitated the events?
Three 15-minute presentations by guests Joe Feagin, Kia Moua, and Sam Grant
15-minute dialogue among speakers
25-minute Q&A with speakers
Optional post-conversation breakout session
What does a meaningful response look like? We will discuss police reform, addressing racial injustice and inequity in Minnesota. What would systemic change look like? What should be the community’s response?
Three 15-minute presentations by guests Ricardo Levins Morales, Autumn Dillie, and Chauntyll Allen
15-minute dialogue among speakers following each presentation
25-minute Q&A with speakers
Optional post-conversation breakout session