About:

About this class

It’s hard to talk about racism in the United States. The topic is complex and controversial, and can easily trigger strong emotions. While racism is one of the major causes of economic inequality and social tensions, some are convinced that it ended with the civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

The protests and civil unrest in the past few years, as well as our ongoing political polarization, provide sufficient reasons to take race and racism seriously. It is clear that we cannot move forward as a nation unless we face the reality of race, develop a common understanding of its impact, and learn ways to have effective conversations so that we can collectively develop strategies to make sustainable changes to how this social system in the US negatively impacts so many lives.

You are invited to join Humanities ND in a 10-week course on racial literacy, designed specifically to help white Americans to develop racial literacy and strategize moving personal education and conversations towards action.

Participants will grapple with their own racial identities, explore race as a social construct and system, take a deep dive into the history of race in the US, and develop a comprehensive understanding of racism as a system of differential power.

Sept. 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, Nov. 7, 14 - 1-3 pm CST

Amena Chaudhry Amena is a consultant, facilitator, and coach who uses principles of Nonviolent Communication, Circle Process, and other participatory leadership theories to equip people and organizations with the knowledge, skills, and tools to develop deeper and authentic relationships. A nimble and innovate social justice practitioner, Amena’s Equity & Inclusion portfolio is a mosaic of her Learning & Development experience in both the corporate and higher education sectors, Restorative Justice experience in non-profit and government sectors, alongside her consulting practice and focus on C-Suite Executive 1:1 coaching.

Amena is passionate about challenging the assumptions we are socialized into about human nature and believes that all humans have a desire to be in good relationship with each other. She leans on this principle in her equity and inclusion work to help individuals and groups to shift from opinion-based conversations to building relationships built on deep listening and authentic, thoughtful sharing.

HND Value Statement

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this {article, book, exhibition, film, program, database, report, Web resource}, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or Humanities North Dakota.

However, in an increasingly polarized world, we at Humanities North Dakota believe that being open-minded is necessary to thinking critically and rationally.

Therefore, our programs and classes reflect our own open-mindedness in the inquiry, seeking, and acquiring of scholars to speak at our events and teach classes for our Public University.

To that end, we encourage our participants to join us in stepping outside our comfort zones and considering other perspectives and ideas by being open-minded while attending HND events featuring scholars who hold a variety of opinions, some being opposite of our own held beliefs.