Building Multiracial Alliances

From: Phil deHaan (dehp@calvin.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 02 2003 - 14:52:42 EST

  • Next message: Phil deHaan: "New Ministry Resource Center at Calvin"

    April 2, 2003 == MEDIA ADVISORY

    As the Supreme Court considers race and admissions policies at the University
    of Michigan, an upcoming lecture at Calvin College will consider how people of
    color can forge better alliances across broader spectrums.

    Dr. Mark Warren, a sociologist at Harvard and holder of the Dubois Fellowship
    this academic year, will deliver a public lecture on Thursday, April 10 at 7:30
    p.m. on "Building Multiracial Alliances: Morality, Interests and the Search for
    Common Ground."

    The talk, to be held in room 010 of the Science Building, is is underwritten
    by the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship and by the Donald Bouma Lecture
    Series in the department of sociology and social work.

    Warren contends that action on racial equality and, more broadly, for social
    justice cannot
    rely on minority support alone.

    "Progress," he says, "will depend on Americans' ability to forge strong
    multiracial alliances that galvanize a majority into active support." Such
    alliances, he says, are lacking. "And our politics, like our social lives," he
    says, "remain starkly divided along racial lines."

    In his talk, Warren will highlight lessons from his study of one of the
    country's most successfully multiracial efforts: the Texas Industrial Areas
    Foundation (IAF). Drawing from his recent book "Dry Bones Rattling," Warren
    will show how faith-based community organizing efforts like the IAF engage
    people's faith traditions as a basis for fostering collaboration among white,
    black and Hispanic communities. Warren will also present findings from his new
    research project in which he is interviewing white Americans who work
    for racial justice. Drawing upon these activists' life narratives, he will
    identify some of the important factors and processes that foster white
    leadership in combating racism.

    See an interview with Warren, including a picture and audio excerpts, at:
    http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/warren04012003.html

    See a complete profile of Mark Warren, including contact info and more, at:
    http://hugse9.harvard.edu/gsedata/Resource_pkg.profile?vperson_id=49513

    -end-



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Wed Apr 02 2003 - 14:52:56 EST