Transformational Conversations: Moving from Fear to Curiosity with Debby Irving
Because dominant white culture encourages us to avoid conflict, many of us raised in it have not fully developed the insight, skill, and emotional stamina necessary to broach and navigate differences of perspective and opinion, especially when harm to a member of a marginalized group is part of the mix. Too often these conversations are completely avoided or broached only to go from bad to worse, leaving people in divided camps teeming with assumption and anger and wreaking havoc on our communities. There is a different way. In contrast to the social norms of whiteness, there are norms designed to develop the vulnerability, skill, and courage necessary to create deep connection and resilience 鈥� ways of being that help us to grow and sustain ourselves personally and collectively. This workshop, led by author Debby Irving, will explore how to embed new, transformational norms into our personal and institutional practices.
Book sale and signing immediately following the workshop.
Monday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.-noon or 2-4 p.m.
Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, second floor
Workshop #1: 10 a.m.-noon
Workshop #2: 2-4 p.m.
Debby Irving is a racial justice educator, author, and public speaker. A community organizer and classroom teacher for 25 years, Irving grappled with racial injustice without understanding racism as a systemic issue or her own whiteness as an obstacle to it. As general manager of Boston鈥檚 Dance Umbrella and First Night, and later as an elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she struggled to make sense of racial tensions she could feel but could not explain. In 2009, Irving took a graduate school course, Racial and Cultural Identities, which gave her the answers she鈥檇 been looking for and launched her on a journey of discovery. Now, speaking and leading workshops around the country, Irving devotes herself to exploring the impact white skin can have on perception, problem solving, and creating culturally inclusive communities. A graduate of the Winsor School in Boston, she holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College and a Master of Business Administration from Simmons College. Her first book, 鈥淲aking Up White,鈥� tells the story of how she went from well-meaning to well-doing.