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Courageous Conversations: So You Want to Talk About Race

4-Week Discussion Series

Join members of Courageous Conversations for a 4-week, in-depth discussion of the themes and issues raised in So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo.

Talking about race can feel uncomfortable, but not talking about it allows injustice to continue. In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race, and about how racism infects every aspect of American life. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don’t dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.

Each session of this 4-week discussion series will focus on select chapters from So You Want to Talk About Race. Participants are expected to have read the designated chapters before attending the discussion.

• Week 1 (10/16): Introduction and Chapters 1-4
• Week 2 (10/23): Chapters 5-7
• Week 3 (10/30): Chapters 8-12
• Week 4 (11/6): Chapters 13-17

Copies of the book are available through the library. Find it in the catalog and request a copy.

All are welcome to register for this discussion group, especially if you are looking for an opportunity to increase your understanding of race and anti-racism. This is intended to be a safe, focused space for honest sharing in which to discuss the systematic structures of racism and the work we can do individually and community-wide to dismantle them.

Registration is required for this series and space is limited. We ask that participants commit to attending all 4 sessions as we build on the lessons and discussions from each week.

This discussion series will be facilitated by Aldonsa Pereyra and Deb Olander, active members of the Courageous Conversations planning committee. 

Aldonsa Pereyra is a community organizer who lives in Lawrence and works at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She is committed to helping people find common ground through courageous conversations. 

Deb Olander is an educator and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion facilitator who lives in Andover. She is committed to helping white people find their place in anti-racism work through courageous conversations. 

This program is in partnership with Courageous Conversations which works to advance and amplify conversations about interpersonal and systemic racism, racial identity and privilege, and antiracism through community reads, films, facilitated conversations, speaker events, and panel discussions. The purpose is to educate ourselves on these issues so that we may better understand the systems that perpetuate racial inequities and reflect on strategies for interrupting and dismantling those systems.

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