United States police have killed at least 194 black people in 2016, according to a project by The Guardian that tracks police killings in America. Local radio wants to bring the discussion of this issue to the local Bloomington sphere.
WFHB radio station’s Interchange is having a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Amrita Myers, Ruth N. Halls Associate History Professor, that focuses on topics prompted by the highly publicized police shootings of unarmed black Americans in recent years.
This discussion will also address the subsequent rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, according to a WFHB press release.
The event will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Monroe County Public Library auditorium.
The discussion will lead with topics all related to this movement.
These topics include race, racism, privilege and policing, with special emphasis on the local, according to the release.
From Ferguson to Charlotte, a national dialogue is underway about the status of race and racism in the U.S., and this panel’s goal is to discuss this issue from a local perspective. The climate of the issue will be examined in Bloomington and other communities in South Central Indiana, according to the release.
Many suggest that racism is institutionalized within the U.S., and thus operates in ways both seen and hidden. This discussion seeks to interrogate the community, according to the release.
The panel includes Berenice Sanchez, current doctoral student at IU’s School of Education and past Assistant Director of La Casa Cultural Latina at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Rasul Mowatt, Associate Professor of American Studies and Associate Chair and Associate Professor in Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies with the School of Public Health; Jennifer Brooks, co-chair of Showing Up for Racial Justice — Bloomington; and William Morris, Civil Rights Attorney and member of the Bloomington Civil Rights Commission.
Audience participation will be encouraged.
Alyson Malinger
