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01/04/2021 11:00 PMLast summer, Roberta Gill-Brooks, a Branford resident, joined former State Representative Lonnie Reed for a conversation about growing up Black in Branford. The overwhelmingly positive response from the community inspired Awakening to Change, a lecture series designed with the intent to unify our community to develop a shared understanding of the history, policy, and experiences shaping contemporary discussions of race.
The series kicks off with a conversation on Monday, January 25 at 7 p.m. with Debby Irving, speaker, diversity trainer, and author of Waking Up White. Ms. Irving is an emerging voice in the national racial justice community who educates and consults with those seeking to create racial equity at both the personal and institutional level.
Ms. Irving will speak about her book, in which she addresses how her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race. She will share her struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, and will offer a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance, all with the Branford community in mind. A Q&A session will follow the talk, moderated by Robert Gill-Brooks and Lonnie Reed.
Awakening to Change is made possible by BCTV, the Blackstone Library, and Branford Community Foundation.
To register for the event and receive a meeting link, visit blackstonelibrary.org.
A limited number of copies of Ms. Irving's book, Waking Up White, are available for borrowing from the Blackstone Library. Call 203-488-1441 extension 318 to learn more. To be notified of all future Awakening to Change events by signing up for the Blackstone Library's events newsletter through the link on blackstonelibrary.org. To learn more about Debby Irving and her extensive works, visit debbyirving.com