Susan Bro to speak on white privilege to kick off Center series

The Center will hold an online speaker series on diversity starting in March.

Building a More Inclusive Community: Local Voices on Diversity will begin at 5:30 p.m. March 3, with Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, who was killed in a car attack at the Unite the Right rally, discussing “What IS White Privilege?”

The series features presentations by local leaders who are “helping to shape a culture of anti-racism and inclusion in Charlottesville,” The Center, a seniors organization, said in a news release. The online event runs for six consecutive Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

According to the release, the program is an initiative of The Center’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee and was created to “contribute to a stronger, healthier community by sharing information and creating a safe place for open dialogue around historic problems of race and exclusion.”

On March 10, Jalane Schmidt, an associate professor in the University of Virginia’s Department of Religious Studies, will discuss “The Origins of Racial Categories.”

Charlottesville’s director of human services, Kaki Dimock, will discuss “Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable” on March 17.

Allison Linney, founder and president of an organizational development consulting firm, will speak on “Do You Have Black Friends, or Do You Just Know Black People?” on March 24.

On March 31, Charlene Green, deputy director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance, will discuss “Leveraging White Privilege to Change a Broken Social System.”

There will be a post-event wrap-up discussion on April 7 with Bob Garrity.

The series is free and open to all, but registration is required. For more information or to register, visit thecentercville.org/pages/2021speakerseries.

Source: www.dailyprogress.com