[St. Louis Beacon] Take five: Gyo Obata and Michael Adams, sons of two renowned artists, discuss Japanese internment

Gyo Obata and Michael Adams share many memories -- life as the sons of an artist and a photographer, Chiura Obata and Ansel Adams; time in their youth exploring Yosemite; their fathers' friendship; and the impact that Japanese internment during World War II had on both men and the country. This Friday, both men will speak at Washington University about the Japanese internment and racial profiling. -->

The CAREER Forum

This is going to be Fun! Free!

THE DETAILS:

On Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6pm, THE CiTY FORUM is partnering with the Missouri History Museum to present:

"The CAREER Forum"

- A FREE, 100-min. town hall forum about counteracting "-isms" (subtle/overt demographic differences) in our work environments (i.e. Age-ism, sexism, discrimination based on sexuality, racism, and other "-isms"). In a talk-show-like format, we will discuss several scenarios in which demographic differences can cause career difficulties. The audience and a small panel of experts will then collectively decide the appropriate response. This forum will be preceded by a brief networking session.

Networking (with complimentary light refreshments and snacks): 6-6:45pm

Town Hall Forum (with 3 expert panelists and 2 host-moderators): 6:45-8:35pm

moderated by:

Sonji Young, Civic Engagement Director - The Engagency Group, LLC, and

Reena Hajat, Executive Director - Diversity Awareness Partnership

Featured Panelists:

Dr. David Kaplan (SLU Cook Business School - Diversity),

Mr. Reggie Farrar (HR Manager - Express Scripts), &

Dr. Traice Webb-Bradley (Psychologist - SIUE)

This Forum will be held in the MacDermott Grand Hall at the Missouri History Museum

at the intersection of Lindell & DeBaliviere in Forest Park, St. Louis, Mo.

This Event is also supported by URBAN LEAGUE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS of METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS.

[St. Louis Beacon] The view from here: Students talk about how race has shaped their education

Each month as a part of our Race, Frankly series, we've told the stories of regular people and their experiences. "The View From Here" continues with a slightly different set of voices -- students. From an 11-year-old black boy being raised by white parents, to a young Iraqi woman, race plays a vital role in education, sometimes hindering, sometimes enriching and sometimes simply making people very aware of who they are. -->

See baby discriminate

Kids as young as 6 months judge others based on skin color. What's a
parent to do?

"The rule still holds true: more diversity translates into more
division among students. Those increased opportunities to interact are
also, effectively, increased opportunities to reject each other. And
that is what's happening."

Full article in Newsweek -->

Traces of the Trade Breaks the Silence

I have seen many documentaries about slavery. They have all touched me, saddened me and angered me, but I can't say that I have ever been able to relate to any of them. How could I? And then I saw Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. While this film reveals a largely unknown aspect of the slave trade, its focus is less the slaves than the slave owners, the legacy of the trade, and the silence that is so frequently inherent in the world of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. And that last part is something I can definitely understand. When filmmaker Katrina Browne and nine other members of the DeWolf family tree set out to squarely face their family's slave-trading history, the tension that results is palpable. Although my own family heritage, made up mostly of solidly middle-class teachers and watchmakers and the like, bears little resemblance to the East Coast affluence of the DeWolf lineage, I immediately recognized the polite reticence that hovers like fog around their family. They are good at being nice. At keeping secrets. Families like theirs (and mine) don't make scenes. We just keep quiet. Which is why stories like this one have taken so long to come to light. This is not to say that every member of the WASP community is sitting by complacently. As this film clearly demonstrates, the Episcopal Church and many other churches have opened their eyes, ears, mouths and hearts to gain an understanding of the past and begin a dialogue about the future. But they are working against a legacy of courteous silence, and for many of us it is this deep-seated fear of confrontation that zips our lips when race becomes an issue. I applaud Katrina Browne and her relatives for confronting an ugly family truth and having the courage to not only get upset about it, but also to use it as a catalyst for further action in their communities. Katrina and her fellow descendants do not all come to the same conclusions about where we go from here, but they have started the conversation, and that is the first step. This family's journey was not about blaming themselves for the choices of their ancestors, but about acknowledging the privilege that those choices have afforded them, even 200 years after the fact. It is about having the nerve to come together to break the silence, stop being so polite, and start talking, even at the risk of angering other members of your family. I wish we were all so brave.