April 2019

From the Desk of the Racial Equity Commission (REC)

Podcast Central

It’s all about the podcast these days, friends. What’s your favorite one? This month, we’re sharing our favorite podcasts that go at issues of race (and culture, movies, current events, art, etc.).  Give them a listen and send us an email to let us know what you think (we’ll share responses in the next newsletter!). Here’s the rundown:

Code Switch: npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
Ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get…stuck? Code Switch can help. We’re all journalists of color, and this isn’t just the work we do. It’s the lives we lead. Sometimes, we’ll make you laugh. Other times, you’ll get uncomfortable. But we’ll always be unflinchingly honest and empathetic. Come mix it up with us.

Pod Save the People: crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-people/
Organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics through deep conversations with influencers and experts, and the weekly news with fellow activists Brittany Packnett and Sam Sinyangwe, and writer Clint Smith. Each week brings a news analysis, followed by deep conversations about social, political and cultural issues with experts, influencers, and diverse local and national leaders.

Seeing White:  sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/
Just what is going on with white people? Police shootings of unarmed African Americans. Acts of domestic terrorism by white supremacists. The renewed embrace of raw, undisguised white-identity politics. Unending racial inequity in schools, housing, criminal justice, and hiring. Some of this feels new, but in truth it’s an old story.
Why? Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? What is whiteness for?

Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen took a deep dive into these questions, along with an array of leading scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika.

Show About Race: showaboutrace.com/
Co-discussants Anna Holmes, Baratunde Thurston, Raquel Cepeda and Tanner Colby host a lively multiracial, interracial conversation about the ways we can’t talk, don’t talk, would rather not talk, but intermittently, fitfully, embarrassingly do talk about culture, identity, politics, power, and privilege in our pre-post-yet-still-very-racial America. This show is "About Race."

Still Processing: .nytimes.com/column/still-processing-podcast
Step inside the confession booth of Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham, two culture writers for The New York Times. They devour TV, movies, art, music and the internet to find the things that move them — to tears, awe and anger. Still Processing is where they try to understand the pleasures and pathologies of America in 2019.

Sooo Many White Guys: wnycstudios.org/shows/whiteguys
Intimate, funny conversations with all kinds of artists who (mostly) aren’t white dudes.  Hosted by Phoebe Robinson.
 
Email REC at bscurry@orangecountync.gov or mmcmonigle@orangecountync.gov

Upcoming Trainings

REC encourages all staff to attend REI trainings (REI Phase l & ll, Latinx Challenge Workshops, Groundwaters, etc.) more than once in order to begin to form a common language and analysis lens among us all. Once trained, we encourage staff participation in the joint and affinity caucusing groups.  For more training opportunities please visit https://www.oaralliance.org/ and https://www.racialequityinstitute.org/.

Racial Equity Institute Groundwater

            Durham – Saturday, April 13^th – To register click here.

Racial Equity Institute Phase l

Cary – Wednesday & Thursday, April 10^th & 11^th – To register click here.

Durham – Monday & Tuesday, April 22^nd & 23^rd – To register click here.  ALUMNI ONLY

Burlington – Friday & Saturday, May 3^rd & 4^th – To register click here.

Durham – Saturday & Sunday, May 4^th & 5^th – To register click here.

Chapel Hill – Friday & Saturday, May 10^th & 11^th – To register click here.

Raleigh – Thursday & Friday, May 16^th & 17^th – To register click here. GROUP OR ALUMNI ONLY

Racial Equity Institute Phase ll

            Burlington – Friday and Saturday, April 5^th & 6^th – To register click here.

474 CLAS Standards Advancing Health Equity Agreement Addendum: Required Trainings Below

Achieving Equitable Outcomes through Results Based Accountability – April 12^th – SHSC Board Room – To register click here.

Understanding the Social Determinants of Health – May 24^th – Whitted BOCC Room – To register click here.

Webinars, Conferences, Workshops

April 10^th – Trauma-Informed Care: An Introduction for Health Department Staff –– Please see Rebecca Crawford for details

May 15^th – Self-Care for the Public Health Professionals - Please see Rebecca Crawford for details

Community Events

110^th Anniversary of NAACP & the Fight Against Racial Terror – April 7^th @ 3 pm – Chapel Hill – Southern Human Services Center – FREE to the Public

Criminal Justice Reform Forum – April 6^th @ 12 pm – Raleigh – FREE

Dirty White Matter: Thursday, April 18th at 7pm at the Carrack Gallery, 947 East Main Street, Durham.  Using group discussion + art to confront whiteness and increase accountability. Every 3rd Thursday from 7-9p at the Carrack. Everyone is welcome! Register at dirtywhitematter.com

Learning Community

Book Club: See April Richard or Juliet Sheridan for more information.