advertisement

ECC discussion series on racism aims to move beyond awareness

What can you do now that you understand the issues surrounding social justice in America? This is the question at the center of the discussion series "Beyond Awareness," organized by Elgin Community College's Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee (MAGIC).

The series kicks off with "What's Race Got to Do With It?," a free screening of the film, "Race - The Power of An Illusion" from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, in Seigle Auditorium, Building E, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. It will be followed by a discussion.

The film questions the idea of race and serves as a discussion tool to help people examine their beliefs about race, privilege, policy and justice.

"This year's series is called 'Beyond Awareness' because MAGIC wants to move our community past thinking that we know what the issues are and give people the tools to ask themselves 'What now?' and 'What am I doing about this?' and then take meaningful action," said Clark Hallpike, ECC professor of business and MAGIC co-chair. "We've examined the fundamentals of race in America and how we got here, but now we need to ask 'Where do we go?"

The members of MAGIC believe in the importance of having programs that address contemporary events related to multicultural and global topics, especially those relevant to ECC's communities.

"Many people are not clear as to what they can do individually or collectively to foster better interpersonal relationships among diverse groups. By providing an awareness of the issues, then moving beyond that to strategies, we aim to provoke deep thought on the subjects that will result in positive actions," said Professor Susan Timm, co-chair of MAGIC. "Through dialogue, we better understand each other and reduce the likelihood of hate. Through actions, we support each other and help to build barriers against hate."

Two more events are scheduled in the "Beyond Awareness" series for this fall.

"Why Is It So Hard to Talk About Racism?" will be presented from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, and "Race: How Do We Confront Our Implicit Biases?" from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19. Both events are in the Spartan Auditorium, Building G, Room G100.

To bring you this important series, MAGIC is partnering with ECC Black Student Achievers, ECC Police Department, ECC Organization for Latin American Students, ECC Renner Academic Library, ECC Student Life, Elgin Police Department, and Gail Borden Public Library.

For additional information about the event, contact Susan Timm, ECC professor of digital technologies and MAGIC co-chair, at (847) 214-7916 or stimm@elgin.edu or Clark Hallpike, ECC professor of business and MAGIC co-chair, at (847) 214-7542 or challpike@elgin.edu.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.