Donna Brazile headlines Racial Legacies lecture

January 20, 2006

Miami University Hamilton faculty, staff and students welcome Donna Brazile as the keynote speaker for the fifteenth Racial Legacies and Learning: How to Talk About Race town meeting to be held Thursday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m. in Parrish Auditorium. The town meeting is free and open to the public.

Brazile, who is chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute and an adjunct professor of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., will discuss "Race, Class and Politics." In particular, Brazile, who is a veteran political strategist and a native of New Orleans, will discuss the impact of race and class on rebuilding plans after Hurricane Katrina. In addition, as the former campaign manager for Gore-Lieberman 2000, Brazile will address her reasons for why people of color should vote, as well as the effects of “white privilege” on mainstream politics.

This fifteenth town meeting is presented by Miami University Hamilton, the City of Hamilton Department of Human Relations, the Miami University Center for American and World Cultures, and 30 additional sponsoring agencies. The meeting begins with Brazile’s keynote address and includes time for audience discussion. “Community partnerships have been the key to the success of Racial Legacies since its inception in 1999,” according to Bob Rusbosin, co-chair and associate dean of Miami Hamilton and director of student services. “Our goal all along has been to create opportunities for community dialogue about race relations.”

The Racial Legacies committee is especially pleased to be recognizing 10 organizations from the local area with Best Practices award as part of the upcoming town meeting. “It is important to recognize those organizations in the community that are doing what needs to be done to promote diversity and to make a real difference,” according to Jimmie Jones, co-chair and special assistant to the campus dean for diversity at Miami Hamilton.

IDS 153 Course offered

To further this goal, Miami Hamilton is offering a special course this semester designed in conjunction with February’s town meeting. The course, “American & World Cultures: Readings in Racial Legacies” (IDS 153), is open to current students for 1-hour credit and to community members for CEU credits. The course begins February 9 at 7:15 p.m. in Room 210 Mosler Hall.

In this discussion-formatted course, students will discuss the concepts of race and class in the context of politics in contemporary United States society. Additional topics will include white privilege, voter apathy, political coalitions, and multicultural activism. In addition, through self-introspection, participants also will examine how we, as products of our society, contribute to the enduring legacies of race.

For additional information regarding CEU credits, contact 513-785-3131 or www.ham.muohio.edu/ce.