Drawing on Ijeoma Oluo’s New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race, as a dialog-builder and platform for engagement, Central Oregon Community College (COCC), OSU-Cascades and several community groups are hosting a series of book conversations on race to commemorate this year’s Season of Nonviolence. The book chats are scheduled throughout Central Oregon in January and February, including at all four of COCC’s campuses, with meetings beginning January 16; visit cocc.edu/departments/multicultural/events/ for the complete schedule.
Oluo’s work guides readers from all identities to join in conversation about racism, discrimination, intersectionality and more. Her approach facilitates difficult conversations through engagement and discussion. The national Season of Nonviolence honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahātmā Gandhi and others who believed in nonviolent efforts to advocate for human rights.
The book conversations are presented by COCC’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion with support from the COCC Foundation’s Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program and held in partnership with All Peoples United Church of Christ, Allyship in Action, OSU-Cascades, The Haven, Trinity Episcopal Peace and Social Justice Team.
For more information, contact the COCC office of diversity and inclusion at 541-383-7412. In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability, contact Joe Viola at 541-383-7775. For accommodation because of other disability such as hearing impairment, contact Disability Services at 541-383-7583.