Blog | Town hall community discussion about race and racism to be held in Conway Saturday morning
Another reminder about the community town hall being held tomorrow, Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Conway at Christ Community Church.
It is titled “When race isn’t about racism - but still potentially dangerous.”
We will be dealing with a lot of the research we went over during our year at Harvard, as well as other research and experiences.
These kinds of issues sprout all the time, whether it be a local issue, such as the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Bikefest in Myrtle Beach, or events that make national news, such as this:
Investigation shows racist fraternity chant came from a cruise sponsored by national leadership
From the piece at the link:
The University of Oklahoma's president says members of a recently disbanded fraternity apparently learned a racist chant during a cruise four years ago sponsored by the fraternity's national leadership.
OU President David Boren said Friday that the school interviewed more than 160 people during its investigation into the racist chant by members of the school's Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter. The chant was captured on video and posted online.
He says about 25 members of the defunct chapter will face punishment ranging from two expulsions the school previously announced to mandatory community service and cultural sensitivity training.
Forgiving is a sign of strength, not weakness
From that piece:
Forgetting is one thing -- that’s something Pettit acknowledges he may never be able to erase from his young memory.
But forgiveness is different.
And Pettit -- all of 20 years old, still wet behind the ears no matter how brilliant he may be in a classroom and despite his privileged background -- deserves that. He earned it with the remarkable courage and contrition he exhibited Wednesday by publicly apologizing for his social transgression.
He couldn’t have crafted a more finely tuned mea culpa, and his delivery was nearly pitch-perfect.
“Let me start by saying that I am sorry, deeply sorry,” said Pettit, surrounded by several Oklahoma civil rights leaders, politicians and pastors. “I am so sorry for the pain I have caused, and I want all of you to know that directly from me. Although I don’t deserve it, I ask for your forgiveness.”
Don’t let that last sentence escape you, the part where Pettit says, “I don’t deserve” your forgiveness.
This is where the onus falls on us, the hurt and offended class, if you will, to open our own hearts and minds to the inestimable power of forgiveness.
“The weak can never forgive,” Gandhi said. “Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Blog | Town hall community discussion about race and racism to be held in Conway Saturday morning."