Dear [],
Thank you for applying to be part of CONNECT: An Interracial Discussion on Race in America.
You are in. If you're reading this email, it's because Cheryl and I are convinced you'll bring a lot to the group.
(Scan the dates below and click the link for the response form — also below — to confirm your attendance. Please respond by Monday, November 28 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. For more details, read on.)
What is this exactly?
CONNECT is a six-month convening of intellectually curious young professionals in their twenties and thirties for a sustained, lay-led, critical conversation about race grounded in a scholarly text. This grew out of the model developed within a dialogue group called Minyan of Thinkers, which creates a space for Jewish young adults to tackle important social, civic, and faith issues within their community. CONNECT builds on that work by expanding its community to include people of all faiths, non-faith, and various race, ethnicity, and gender identities.
The idea is to talk about things that matter honestly and openly, grounded in data and complemented with the sharing of our diverse experiences. Americans have been ignoring and talking past each other about race since before the founding of the country, so Cheryl and I are trying to fix this a few handfuls of people at a time.
Over the course of six months, fifteen of us will read "White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide." We will meet once per month to discuss a chapter of the book, but in between sessions we'll have just a bit of homework to complete with a partner, another member of the cohort.
We will convene on Sundays once a month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the synagogue and community space Sixth & I (600 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20001). Dinner will be provided.
The series begins in January, but we're holding a kick-off event on Sunday, December 11.
Dates and Times
Meet-and-greet: Sunday, December 11, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Session 1: Sunday, January 8, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 2: Sunday, February 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 3: Sunday, March 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 4: Sunday, April 9, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 5: Sunday, May 7, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 6: Sunday, June 11, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
A few other details
1. You are an impressive group
You're diverse professionally and racially. Among you are two psychologists, one rabbi, one former community organizer, and advocates of various stripes. You’re passionate about social justice.
2. We'll talk about anti-black racism but not just anti-black racism
Cheryl and I are building the discussions around one book that focuses on anti-black racism. The black-white racial divide is a defining feature of American history. "White Rage" is fantastic, and it is convenient to have a single, rich text to dissect together. But we selected a diverse cohort so that our thoughts and experiences can extend the conversation. We want to talk honestly about race, but we'd also like to use what we learn about racism to help us examine other types of what sociologists refer to as "othering," for example, by gender and sexual orientation. Different isms often share some of the same mechanisms of exclusion.
3. Attendance
Each of you is an important part of this experience. We need every voice, so we ask that you commit to attending every session in January through June. With enough notice, one absence would be manageable, but no more.
Please respond to confirm your attendance
Please complete this short form so that we can confirm your attendance at the kick-off event and sessions one through six.
The presidential election was just the latest proof of how divided America is and always has been. It is our hope that the collective learning and deep, compassionate listening we will undertake in CONNECT will prove to be cathartic and empower us to be part of positive change.
Sincerely,
Lionel Foster and Cheryl Pruce
Thank you for applying to be part of CONNECT: An Interracial Discussion on Race in America.
You are in. If you're reading this email, it's because Cheryl and I are convinced you'll bring a lot to the group.
(Scan the dates below and click the link for the response form — also below — to confirm your attendance. Please respond by Monday, November 28 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. For more details, read on.)
What is this exactly?
CONNECT is a six-month convening of intellectually curious young professionals in their twenties and thirties for a sustained, lay-led, critical conversation about race grounded in a scholarly text. This grew out of the model developed within a dialogue group called Minyan of Thinkers, which creates a space for Jewish young adults to tackle important social, civic, and faith issues within their community. CONNECT builds on that work by expanding its community to include people of all faiths, non-faith, and various race, ethnicity, and gender identities.
The idea is to talk about things that matter honestly and openly, grounded in data and complemented with the sharing of our diverse experiences. Americans have been ignoring and talking past each other about race since before the founding of the country, so Cheryl and I are trying to fix this a few handfuls of people at a time.
Over the course of six months, fifteen of us will read "White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide." We will meet once per month to discuss a chapter of the book, but in between sessions we'll have just a bit of homework to complete with a partner, another member of the cohort.
We will convene on Sundays once a month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the synagogue and community space Sixth & I (600 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20001). Dinner will be provided.
The series begins in January, but we're holding a kick-off event on Sunday, December 11.
Dates and Times
Meet-and-greet: Sunday, December 11, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Session 1: Sunday, January 8, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 2: Sunday, February 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 3: Sunday, March 12, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 4: Sunday, April 9, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 5: Sunday, May 7, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Session 6: Sunday, June 11, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
A few other details
1. You are an impressive group
You're diverse professionally and racially. Among you are two psychologists, one rabbi, one former community organizer, and advocates of various stripes. You’re passionate about social justice.
2. We'll talk about anti-black racism but not just anti-black racism
Cheryl and I are building the discussions around one book that focuses on anti-black racism. The black-white racial divide is a defining feature of American history. "White Rage" is fantastic, and it is convenient to have a single, rich text to dissect together. But we selected a diverse cohort so that our thoughts and experiences can extend the conversation. We want to talk honestly about race, but we'd also like to use what we learn about racism to help us examine other types of what sociologists refer to as "othering," for example, by gender and sexual orientation. Different isms often share some of the same mechanisms of exclusion.
3. Attendance
Each of you is an important part of this experience. We need every voice, so we ask that you commit to attending every session in January through June. With enough notice, one absence would be manageable, but no more.
Please respond to confirm your attendance
Please complete this short form so that we can confirm your attendance at the kick-off event and sessions one through six.
The presidential election was just the latest proof of how divided America is and always has been. It is our hope that the collective learning and deep, compassionate listening we will undertake in CONNECT will prove to be cathartic and empower us to be part of positive change.
Sincerely,
Lionel Foster and Cheryl Pruce
