DALLAS – The City of Dallas will present a four-part series called Conversations about Race, a dialogue and discussion about race. The first event on Sept. 21 will feature panelists from local media; subsequent events will focus on youth, local leadership and business leaders. The series is the prelude to the Dallas Faces Race: Face Race 2014 National Conference which will be held Nov. 13-15, 2014.
Conversations about Race Co-Chairs Mayor Michael S. Rawlings, Councilmember Dwaine R. Caraway and Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia are inviting the public to attend and take part in the discussions.
“Race is a difficult discussion to have but we will never get beyond our differences if we aren’t brave enough to reverse racial disparities and move our city towards full equity, inclusion and dignity for everyone,” said Mayor Rawlings.
“This is our moment to be honest, to be heroes and to heal so we can truly all work towards making Dallas a 21st century city,” said Councilmember Caraway.
“These events will present solution-focused dialogues on race; bringing together some of the best minds on this important subject,” said County Commissioner Garcia.
The first event in the series will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday Sept. 21 at City Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St. Panelists will include Bob Ray Sanders, Robert Wilonsky, Crystal Ayala, Gerald Britt, and Mollie Finch Belt. The discussion will be moderated by Skot Welch co-host of Radio in Black and White.
The event is free and open to the public. Seating will be limited and advanced registration is required. To register, go to www.conversationsaboutrace.eventbrite.com. Tickets not claimed ten minutes before the start of the event will be released on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration does not guarantee a seat; those wishing to attend should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the event.
…talk is cheap…but it’s better than silence and untested assumptions…if the talk leads to some productive actions (other than more talk), I’m all for it…
In attending the Saturday event,the overall comments reflected a failed attempt. No time was left for any audience participation, and as many individuals stated (and I concur) it failed terribly….
The speakers did nothing but pat themselves on the back for an hour a twenty five minutes, with the same old stories that many of us already heard. If Rawlings and the rest must truly want to develop a conversation about race and the issues that face all of us….he must first permit real participation from the audience that built the infrastructure, understand
the history of the various topics, the monies or lack their of that has created the devise that we all now are faced with and present solutions that will put this city back on it’s feet….
Media is the problem, and the speakers that were selected never delivered !!!
If this group was serious about an active discussion, why no microphones, proper full length paper for questions instead of a paper to submit questions the size of a race ticket or direct questions from the audience without review.. and ample time for meaningful discussion to present the history, obstacles, challenges and solutions. Many came to realize that this was an attempt to present a Feel-Good Session for the new managers selected by Rawlings to run Dallas……..
Where do the people that actually built the infrastructure, worked with the DOJ and Attorney Generals in resolving issues such as Educational admissions, Revenue from companies and corporations, etc…go to sign-up to be part of this discussion so that an understanding of what was designed and how it changed created the demise that we all now face…..
And as one Lady stated, the haves and have-not’s !!!
Next Mike stated that the second meeting will involve interest related issues for the younger generation (25 years of age or so). The admission process for law school has a complete and detailed process yet no mention of what Abbott, Pitts and myself developed in response to the 2003 Grutter decision. A very big disappointment……. !!!
Thank you for providing taking the time to attend and share a look at how it felt from the audience’s perspective.