For the first time, Mewbourne College will be offering the Diversity Learning Community for alumni. The Alumni Learning Community will mirror the on-campus learning community, will last the entire fall 2020 semester, and be completely online. It will be similar to a book club. Participants will be given a reading guide, discussion questions to think about, and more.
Sign up for more information here.
About the Learning Community
The Mewbourne College Learning Community aims to create a sense of community within the college, and to examine a book of topical relevance to the College and higher education, in general. The expectation in the Learning Community is for participants to read the chapter(s) and to actively participate in the virtual discussions throughout the semester. We also ask that all participants remain respectful of other participants’ viewpoints, as well as respectful with the language you choose to express yourself. You will be given a copy of the book and a journal for your participation in the Learning Community. Both items are yours to keep, so feel free to write and highlight them as needed. All discussions are expected to remain confidential and stay within the context of the Learning Community.
This Session’s Book
ecessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.