Dual Family, One Black, One White

- Notes by Sharon Jarrett

The 1619 Discussion Group met on April 16, 2021.

The discussion began with an update on the Derek Chauvin Trial. This was followed by reflection on the question " What can we consider hopeful?"

Thoughts included:

*The Blue Wall is coming down"
"Clean Up" by the police themselves is happening with officers more willing to discuss inappropriate use of force and training issues.
Creation of Civilian Oversight Committees being developed in multiple cities including Pasadena
Removal or reversal of Qualified Immunity relative to policing
Greater use of cameras to document interactions with police and the community
Monetary settlements as they get municipal attention
Movement in some cities to expanded discussion of the social work aspect of intervention in community issues which police currently respond to
Expanded knowledge of community resources and their use within the community
"De-funding" is an unhelpful descriptor and creates impediments to community discussion of how best to respond to community concerns
Trust, once lost, is hard to reestablish
There was a brief review of the voter suppression regulations being considered at the local level in various states.

A participant shared a group of books aimed at children featuring illustrations of children from diverse backgrounds and stressing positivity.

There was a discussion of the need to get involved when something inappropriate is observed.
This includes a need to develop a broader sense of community and awareness of needs of the common good.

The participants were made aware that May 26-29 will be focused on the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre. It was suggested participants visit the website for the John Hope Franklin Center which is sponsoring a conference during the three day period.

The success of the Black Lives Matter organization was discussed. It was noted that particularly important was the evolution of a local organization to a national focus. The importance of local organizing was noted as developing local leaders is critical to the development of future national leaders.

The next meeting will be on May 7th. There will be two speakers who are the descendants of a shared white ancestor. They have written a book titled "Cousins" and will discuss the discoveries made in researching their shared ancestor.

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This presentation ties into the previous session concept of looking for hopeful things. This is a story of discovery, recognition, acknowledgement, and communication. It is another example of positive things happening in this world that is filled with discouraging news in all sectors of the environment. We look forward to this presentation in anticipation of our continuing enlightenment of what is possible when the right spirit prevails.

For more information about this event, visit our special events page . The book may be pre-ordered at Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena.

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