Half way through the Social Science Tavern’s Spring 2015 series on Race in the US, there are two updates for the remaining four meetings.
Dr. Regine Jackson’s talk,Race, Residential Patterns, and Inequality in Metro Atlanta, has been moved ahead one day to Wednesday April 15. The series finale, Dr. Sheff’s talk on How to be an Effective Ally: Using White Privilege Against Racism, has also moved ahead one day to May 22.
April 15, Race, Residential Patterns, and Inequality in Metro Atlanta
• Regine Jackson
April 30, The Psychology of Race and the Impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Process
• Trina Brown
May 4, Mixed Race Lesbian Step Parenting
• Katie Acosta
May 22, How to be an Effective Ally: Using White Privilege Against Racism
• Elisabeth Sheff
DETAILS
All meetings happen in the Eagle’s Nest at Manuel’s Tavern at North and North Highland in Atlanta, GA. The speaker starts at 7:30, but please come a little bit early if you want to order some of Manuel’s delicious food or something from their fantastic drink selection.
Everything in its Place: Race, Residential Patterns and Inequality in Metro Atlanta
April 15, Regine Jackson
• In this presentation, Dr. Regine Jackson (Associate Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies, Agnes Scott College) explains some of the demographic changes that the Atlanta metropolitan area has undergone in the last 40 years. She challenges the idea that the incorporation of immigrants and new ethnic groups has dismantled the black-white dichotomy that once characterized the “old South.” Using data from the U.S. Census and field research with Caribbean and African immigrants, Dr. Jackson argues that while many new immigrants have diversified predominantly white suburbs, for blacks – regardless of ancestry – residential settlement and business location continue to be structured by race. The presentation hopes to raise questions about enduring patterns of segregation, spatial inequality and the meaning of diversity in the “post-racial” South.
The Psychology of Race and the Impact of Communal Trauma on the Collective Perception of Self: Explorations of the Truth and Reconciliation Process
April 30, Trina Brown
• In this presentation, Dr. Trina Brown (SCAD) discusses her contributions to a recent book examining the potential benefit of a Truth and Reconciliation Process (TRP) in this country. Brown’s chapter focuses on the psychology of race and the impact of communal trauma on the collective perception of self, and her talk will also include a discussion of the overall purpose of the book and the psychological implications. For a summary of the book that provides a description of the content of each chapter, see the website: http://www.crimesagainsthumanitybook.com/
Mixed Race Lesbian Step Parenting
May 4, Katie Acosta
• In this presentation, Dr. Katie Acosta (Department of Sociology, Georgia State University) reports on her qualitative interview based research with women who are raising children in same sex stepparent households. Acosta explains the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and culture shape the parenting experiences for the mixed race families in her study. As these families include a stepparent, who was not part of the family’s original formation, the racial, ethnic and cultural tensions they experience are new to them at least in part and they must learn how to negotiate these tensions with their children. Dr. Acosta explains how mixed-race lesbian families negotiate cultural tensions and the strategic ways in which they go about presenting as a family.
How to be an Effective Ally: Using White Privilege Against Racism
May 22, Elisabeth Sheff
• WWhiteness is the race that passes as no race at all, and in this presentation Dr. Elisabeth Sheff (Director of Legal Services, Sheff Consulting Group) explores some of the ways in which white people can be allies for people of color in a struggle against racism. This presentation begins by explaining white privilege using Peggy McIntosh’s idea of the “invisible knapsack” of privilege that white people carry around with them as they move through life. Then it identifies some common mistakes well-meaning white people make when interacting with people of color, and identifies more effective strategies that can turn white privilege against itself. The presentation closes with a discussion of the strategies white people can use to combat white privilege, and a question/answer/discussion session.
