Dick and Sharon, Mixed Race Marriage

They are the publishers of the award winning, online weekly newsletter, LA Progressive. They are a mixed race couple who have participated in Coming to the Table for many years. They also generously share their experiences with the community.

The title of their talk was "Let's Talk: White Fragility". The talk was recorded and is posted on the Pasadena Village Youtube channel. Watch it by clicking the link above. The richness of the conversation is found in the interactions between the speakers and participants. It is recommended that the recording be listened to in order to fully appreciate the conversation.

The speakers introduced themselves and shared that they have been married for 20 years. Prior to their marriage, each had been married, she to an African American man with whom she has 2 biological children. He was married to a white woman with whom he adopted a daughter who is African American.

They believe being an inter racial couple has deepened their respective understanding of race. Dick shared that he was an early supporter of racial equality having developed a early friendship with a Black classmate and being influenced by the writing of James Baldwin. Later, while at university, he met James Baldwin. He believes the newsletter he and Sharon produce is central to their work. He indicated he wants people to understand the daily "weathering" Black people endure. He used as an example, the daily worry Sharon has as her black son drives to work.

The remaining talk centered on a series of questions and ideas, posed and explored with the participants. The questions included:

What Got Us Here?

What is Race?

Colorblind and Racial?

Learning to be White

White Fragility

White Supremacy/White Fragility

What are the Threats?

Glass Half Full, Glass Half Empty

Where is the Opportunity?

The session ended with next steps, three were suggested:

Embrace Fragility

Understand Damage

Put Knowledge into Action

The next meeting will be on July 7th at 10:00 AM PST. On July 21, we will have another presentation by Brian Biery. Brian, in another of his excellent presentations about racialy related experiences in our local area, will talk about the hisotry of development in Arroyo Seco. Brian will also discuss temporary issues regarding this unique geographical area.

Our discussion group meets twice a month on teh 1st and 3rd friday of each month. At 10AM on the 1st Friday and 12 Noon on the 3rd Friday, Pacific Standard Time. We welcome visitors and more information and registration are available by calling our office at 626-765-6037. If you'd like to be added to our mailing list send an email to rgmyers@gmail.com with the subject line : add to mailing list.

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