July 31 at 2:00 pm in Sabin House living room
ARWAG (the Anti-Racist White Affinity Group) is hosting a summer community read for LU staff and faculty interested in reading and discussing novels written by authors of color and centering the experiences of people of color. On July 31 we’ll be discussing Tommy Orange’s NYT bestselling debut novel There There. “Tommy Orange’s shattering novel follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to each other in ways they may not yet realize. There is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and working to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, who is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death, has come to work at the powwow to honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil has come to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Hailed as an instant classic, There There is at once poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, utterly contemporary and always unforgettable.” (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563403/there-there-by-tommy-orange/9780525436140/)
What is ARWAG? A gathering of Lawrence staff and faculty seeking to understand and challenge racism. Recognizing that anti-racist work is disproportionately borne by people of color, ARWAG is a setting for white people to take responsibility for educating ourselves about racism and for challenging white supremacy from the inside. Organized as a study group, ARWAG will read and discuss materials that help us understand how racism operates, especially in its insidious forms that are harder for white people to notice in action—white privilege, unconscious / implicit bias, and structural racism. ARWAG welcomes colleagues at every stage of learning—whether you’re an experienced anti-racist or just beginning to grapple with the realities of racism.
For more information on this and other ARWAG events, please contact ARWAG co-convener Jenna Stone (jennifer.stone@lawrence.edu) or Emily Bowles in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (emily.s.bowles@lawrence.edu).