ECC discussion series on racism aims to move beyond awareness

What do I do now that I understand the issues surrounding social justice in America? This is the question at the center of the discussion series Beyond Awareness, organized by ECC’s Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee (MAGIC).

The series kicks off with “What’s race got to do with it?,” a free screening of the film “Race – The Power of An Illusion” followed by a discussion on Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Elgin Community College in Building E, Seigle Auditorium, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, IL. The film questions the idea of race and serves as a discussion tool to help people examine their beliefs about race, privilege, policy, and justice.

“This year’s series is called Beyond Awareness because MAGIC wants to move our community past thinking that we know what the issues are and give people the tools to ask themselves ‘what now’ and ‘what am I doing about this’ and then take meaningful action,” said Clark Hallpike, ECC professor of business and MAGIC co-chair. “We’ve examined the fundamentals of race in America and how we got here, but we need to ask now ‘where do we go?”

The members of MAGIC believe in the importance of having programs that address contemporary events related to multicultural and global topics, especially those relevant to ECC’s communities.

“Many people are not clear as to what they can do individually or collectively to foster better interpersonal relationships among diverse groups. By providing an awareness of the issues, then moving beyond that to strategies, we aim to provoke deep thought on the subjects that will result in positive actions,” said Professor Susan Timm, co-chair of MAGIC. “Through dialogue, we better understand each other and reduce the likelihood of hate. Through actions, we support each other and help to build barriers against hate.”

Two more events are scheduled in the Beyond Awareness series for this fall. “Why is it so hard to talk about racism?” will be presented on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and “Race: How do we confront our implicit biases?” on Tuesday, Nov. 19 from from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. Both events are in the Spartan Auditorium (Building G, Room G100).

To bring you this important series, MAGIC is partnering with ECC Black Student Achievers (BSA), ECC Police Department, ECC Organization for Latin American Students (OLAS), ECC Renner Academic Library, ECC Student Life, Elgin Police Department, and Gail Borden Public Library. For additional information about the event, contact Susan Timm, ECC professor of digital technologies and MAGIC co-chair, at 847-214-7916 or stimm@elgin.edu or Clark Hallpike, ECC professor of business and MAGIC co-chair, at 847-214-7542 or challpike@elgin.edu.

Media Contact: Elissa Kojzarek

Communications Specialist

Office: 847-214-7838

Email: news@elgin.edu

Elgin Community College (ECC) is a comprehensive public community college, one of 48 statewide. ECC serves approximately 15,000 students each year. Programs of study include 25 major fields for university transfer, more than 130 career-oriented, occupational degrees and certificates, corporate and continuing education, and a full complement of pre-collegiate courses. The three-year graduation rate exceeds the national average and the average of peer colleges. ECC awards more than 2,200 degrees and certificates each year.

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