Thursday, April 15, at 7:00 pm, please join us for a conversation with a group of student leaders at Highland Park High School who will discuss their efforts to establish an Inclusion Committee, improve teacher training, increase diversity in hiring, and institute curriculum reviews and culturally responsive teaching. We are hoping a member of the administration can join us as well.
Register here to receive the Zoom link to attend.
Resources for learning about equity, diversity, and inclusion
Our April 15 event continues our current series of investigating issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our schools, our city, and our nation. Below are a list of the resources Jerry Hawkins, from Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation, discussed at our coffee on Friday, April 9.
The Anti Asian Violence townhall is on YouTube, and it was fantastic.
Heather McGhee, The Sum of Us - “The Sum of Us is a brilliant analysis of how we arrived here: divided and self-destructing, materially rich but spiritually starved and vastly unequal. McGhee marshals economic and sociological research to paint an irrefutable story of racism’s costs, but at the heart of the book are the humble stories of people yearning to be part of a better America, including white supremacy’s collateral victims: white people themselves. With startling empathy, this heartfelt message from a Black woman to a multiracial America leaves us with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game.”
For more on redlining, read Richard Rothstein's excellent history - The Color of Law - “In this groundbreaking history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein, a leading authority on housing policy, explodes the myth that America’s cities came to be racially divided through de facto segregation―that is, through individual prejudices, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Rather, The Color of Law incontrovertibly makes clear that it was de jure segregation―the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments―that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day.”
Bonton + Ideal - From BC Films: “The latest in our Neighborhood Stories program, this film explores the Bonton and Ideal neighborhoods in South Dallas. Initially a series of segregated developments built for black Dallasites, the neighborhoods have a rich legacy of soulful music, black-owned businesses, and close social ties. As with other segregated neighborhoods in the American South, Bonton and Ideal have struggled with the effects of political decisions aimed to isolate the neighborhood physically, socially, and economically. The love and dedication of long time residents has spurred city-led revitalization, though not always with the neighborhood’s interests in mind.”
Listen to the Nice White Parents podcast from the New York Times and Serial. It “looks at the 60-year relationship between white parents and the public school down the block.”
Young Leaders Strong City - a local group with a mission “to equip a network of students, educators, and adult allies with tools to analyze, advocate, and dismantle systemic racism in themselves, their schools, and communities.
Jim Schutze, The Accommodation: The Politics of Race in an American City This classic work on Dallas’s history has been reissued by Deep Vellum press. D-Mag called it the “most dangerous book in Dallas” in 2015. “The powerful classic of Dallas history that examines the violent and suppressed history of race and racism in the city, from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement, and the city’s desegregation efforts in the 1950s and ‘60s.”
James W. Loewen, Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, provides an investigation of how suburban communities policed and regulated non-whites in their boundaries. Both Highland Park and University Park are discussed.
And not mentioned but REALLY good reading is this piece from Insight CCED - The Power of Narrative in Economic Policy
This great historical infographic is from United for a Fair Economy.
And from our friends at SMU
The Voices of SMU Oral History project is recording the stories of People of Color who attended SMU over the years. This is a great resource for the many SMU alum in our community, and also for those who want to hear first hand stories of people of diverse backgrounds who come to the University and the neighborhood.
SMU’s Center for Presidential History is just completing the first season of its podcast: The Past, The Promise, the Presidency. This season it has chronicled the history of race in America through the lens of the presidency, starting with Lincoln. It also has the best theme music of any podcast available.
We also encourage you to dive into the following resources
Equity Literacy for All by Paul Gorski and Katy Swalwell (download at this site)
The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (TedTalk)
The Curb-Cut Effect by Angela Glover Blackwell
A New Community Vision for Dallas by Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation
Dallas Economic Opportunity Assessment by Communities Foundation of Texas
Stay-tuned for a pop-up book club to discuss!