Readings on Race is a monthly discussion group sponsored by the library, focusing on issues of race. The group generally meets at the library on one Saturday every month from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, to discuss a book or other resources on a particular topic or theme. Sometimes alternate times or locations are planned.
Kate Mrozicki facilitates the group. Kate is a farmer who believes in the power of difficult conversations to change our reality. She got to practice those conversations during years of working for The Food Project in Boston and is now raising small children in Surry.
All Readings on Race meetings are free and everyone is welcome. Readings and copies of the book for each meeting are generally available at the library 3 weeks or so ahead of each date. For more information, call the library at 374-5515.
Readings/Resources for ROR Meetings:
Monday Zoom Sessions: 2/2023 & 3/2023
Kinship With The More Than Human World podcast
“In various cultures around the world, human identity cannot be separated from our nonhuman kin. The landscapes we call home — grasslands and forests, mountains and rocks, rivers and oceans — are shared by nonhuman beings who may be considered relatives. Age-old myths and modern science reinforce these kinship relationships. From forest ecology to the human microbiome, emerging research suggests that being human is a complicated journey made possible only by the good graces of our many companions.
…Leading scientists, philosophers and writers illuminate ways in which “personhood” transcends the human species and shows how kinship practices can deepen our care and respect for the more-than-human world.”
Mondays 7-8pm
Discussing two episodes each week. Contact the library if you need help accessing the podcasts. You can listen on Spotify, Google Podcasts, The first four have transcripts online and article links if you prefer to read.
February 13th
“1:Eye-to-eye animal encounters” and “2:Plants as persons”
February 27th
“3:When mountains are gods” and “4:Shapeshifting”
March 13th
“5:Kincentricity” and “6:Internet of trees”
March 27th
“7:Mind-bending world of mushrooms” and “8: Wisdom of the desert”
1/28/2023: Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian
Maria Padian, Author’s website
11/12/2022: Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Resources:
Educator guide by the author can be found here.
4/30/22: This Land Podcast by Crooked Media
Resources:
Listen to Season 2 of the podcast here.
How a white evangelical family could dismantle adoption protections for Native children Roxan
Q&A with Rebecca Nagle, host of This Land
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3/19/22: There, There by Tommy Orange
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies may be available at the library, call us at 374-5515 to reserve a copy).
Tommy Orange discusses his book at Politics and Prose at the Wharf on 6/25/18.
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2/26/22: Farming While Black by Leah Penniman
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies may be available at the library, call us at 374-5515 to reserve a copy).
Leah Penniman interviewed by Courtney Collum at COA
Soul Fire Farm which she co-founded.
By Reconnecting With Soil, We Heal the Planet and Ourselves, 2019 article by Leah in YES magazine.
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1/22/22: Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies may be available at the library, call us at 374-5515 to reserve a copy).
Liberated Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Project Fund
10/30/2021: Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie Glaude
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies available at the library, call us at 374-5515 to reserve a copy).
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6/5/21: Healing Begins with Truth: Understanding Colonization with Wabanaki REACH
Resources
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4/24/21: Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies available at the library, call 374-5515 to reserve or schedule curbside pickup), or digital audio.
-Listen to the Codeswitch Podcast about violence against Asian Americans
-Read interviews with Cathy Park Hong here
-Related, Throughline podcast about Japanese American activist Yuri Kochiyama
–Watch Racial Justice and the Arts (in Maine) panel
-Check out grassroots, community-based organizations like Unified Asian Communities (UAC) and Cambodian Community Association of Maine (CCAM)
-The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine is hosting a virtual event, Racism Is A Virus: A Conversation with Asian American Youth in Maine on March 31st. This panel discussion will highlight and raise awareness of the Asian American experience in Maine. You can register here.
–Here is a resource that lists Asian-owned businesses in Maine.
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3/27/2021: Once I Was You by Maria Hinojosa
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies available at the library, call 374-5515 for curbside pickup).
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2/13/2021: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies available at the library, call 374-5515 for curbside pickup), audiobook on CD, or eBook or digital audio
See Interviews with Bernadine Evaristo in the Guardian and on YouTube
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12/19/2020: The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book (additional copies available at the library, call 374-5515 for curbside pickup) or eBook or digital audio
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11/14/2020: Post-Election Conversation
Register for an online discussion of the recent election on the library’s calendar or by calling 374-5515.
Resources:
How Whiteness Affected the Election – radio story
Unity is for White People: Why Joe Biden Can’t Unite the Country by Michael Harriot
After a bitterly divided election, what’s next for America – CNN opinions from 26 commentators
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10/14/2020: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Resources:
The book (additional copies available to borrow from the library)
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8/1, 8/12, and 8/27/2020: My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
Resources:
Reserve a copy of the print book or eBook
Supplemental resources from Resmaa Menakem:
Racialized Trauma e course
On Being Interview
Follow up On Being conversation with Resmaa Menakem and Robin DiAngelo
Webinars to rent
Other resources:
-Sherene Cauley put together this description of whole body physiological communication that helps to explain a bit more about the additional workings of the soul nerve. The vagus nerve is a very sensitive conduit between our internal and external environments.
-Follow up personal work with characteristics of white supremacy culture in connection with this activity Sherene created to look at certain aspects and their antidotes.
-If you are continuing to discuss My Grandmother’s Hands with your own group, the Great Radical Race Read’s guide is good place to get some direction.
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7/16/2020: How to Show Up in This Moment
Resources:
Finding your role
White people looking for their lane– a collection of articles
Anti-racism Resource list with local focus
Description of white supremacy culture and how it shows up in organizations
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7/8/2020: Interrupting Racism: How to Speak Up and Be Heard
Resources:
Responding to “All lives matter”
Southern Poverty Law Center’s guide to responding to bigotry
Test your own implicit bias here and here
Holding space for transformation
Helpful Rebuttals For Racist Talking Points
Which kind of ally are you? quiz
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6/6/2020: Discussion on Race in the Current Moment
Resources:
Podcast: Codeswitch- A Decade of Watching Black People Die
Video: Young Black woman sharing her perspective
Article: Rebecca Solnit on where the violence is coming from
Reverend William Barber: America must listen to its wounds. They will tell us where to look for hope
Resources for Talking to Children About Race and This Moment
Resource List from Discussion Group
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3/14/2020: White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo.
Resources:
The book (additional copies available at the library)
You can listen to Robin DiAngelo talk about her book
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2/8/2020: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.
Resources:
The book (additional copies available at the library)
Listen to this NPR piece with Kendi
Read some of his essays.
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1/11/2020: 1619 Project from The New York Times Magazine
Resources:
Read the magazine online (physical copies also available at the library)
Listen to the podcast (5 episodes)
See the Pulitzer Center high school curriculum based on the project
This Atlantic article discusses some of the criticism of the project
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11/2/2019: Exploring Maine/Wabanaki History with Maine-Wabanaki REACH
A workshop sponsored by the library, Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Blue Hill Books, and Reversing Falls Sanctuary.
11/9/19: Follow-up from workshop & discussion for educators on teaching Thanksgiving
Resources:
Register for the workshop here
Ways to think about decolonizing Thanksgiving
Truthsgiving
Thanksgiving myths
Food: Indigenous relationship to food, Thanksgiving table, Sweet potatoes
For teachers: Amercian Indian perspective on Thanksgiving, Decolonizing Thanksgiving Toolkit, Books for littles
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10/19/2019: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Resources:
The Book
Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative’s Racial Justice reeducation project
Stevenson’s TED talk about injustice
This podcast features Stevenson speaking about Just Mercy
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9/14/2019: “Seeing White” podcast from Scene on Radio
Resources:
Transcripts from the podcast
If you need help listening to the podcast, please contact Hannah at the library at 374-5515 x11 or hannah.cyrus[at]bhpl.net.
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5/11/2019: The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
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3/9/2019 & 4/13/2019: An Indigenous People’s History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Resources:
Introduction to the book
Article: Stop Saying This is a Nation of Immigrants.
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2/9/2019: Talking with Children about Race
Come join experienced parents and educators in a discussion of ways to go about talking to kids about race, and potential pitfalls. Books to aid the conversation will be on display and available to check out. Childcare will be available during the meeting.
Article: Age by Age Guide to Talking about Race.
Article: 4 Ways to Talk to Young Children about Race (aimed at speaking to children of color, good for everyone to read).
Podcast: “Raising Activist Kids“: Trina Greene Brown goes over some basics of raising race conscious children on the Baby Crazy podcast.
Article: “Raising White Kids to Be Racially Sensitive – and Proactive” by Jennifer Harvey.
Book: Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey.
Talk: Why We Need to Talk About Race by Jennifer Harvey (talk begins around 10 min; the question and answer segment is good).
Article: “How Well-intentioned White Families Can Perpetuate Racism” by Joe Pinsker.
Article: “10 Things Every White Teacher Should Know When Talking About Race” by Angela Watson.
Video: Kids Talking About Race.
Video: Black Parents Explain.
EmbraceRace.org talk about How Children Learn About Race, see also additional articles linked to at the end of the transcript.
EmbraceRace also has a lot of thoughtful tipsheets.
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1/26/2019: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
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12/15/2018: Abbe Museum Tour
Video: TEDx Dirigo talk by Abbe Museum president: We must decolonize our museums
Blog: The museum’s blog about their decolonization process.
11/10/2018: Dawnland documentary discussion
Additional Resources:
Film: hour long version available to stream online through PBS Independent Lens.
Resource: Upstander Project seeks to help bystanders become upstanders in the face of injustice (re:genocide) through documentary films paired with learning resources.
Resource: A short version of the film, First Light, has a completed learning resources companion that provides lots of historical background for Dawnland.
Resource: Dawnland learning material is available with more to come.
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10/13/2018: Interrupting Racism Workshop with Carolyn Gage
Download Carolyn’s Interrupting Racism PowerPoint presentation.
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9/8/2018: Decolonizing the Mind (chapter 8 from Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change by Sherri Mitchell)
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6/9/2018: Speak Up: Practice Confronting Casual Racism
Article: Southern Poverty Law Center’s guide to responding to everyday bigotry
Podcast: Code Switch episode and essay talking about when we call out casual racism
Article: Tips from Australia for addressing everyday racism
Speech: Audre Lorde’s “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism” in Sister Outsider: Essays & Speeches by Audre Lorde available at the library or online here.
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5/12/2018: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Additional Resources:
Podcast: “The Woke Spectrum,” We Live Here podcast, season 3 (includes a good description of racial identity development; academic description starts at 10:10)
Article: “I’m Dreaming About a Modern World That Doesn’t Erase Its Indigenous Intelligence” by Matika Wilbur, from Yes Magazine, Feb. 19 2018.
Podcast: “We’re Not Going Anywhere” Pod Save the People podcast, May 1, 2018. More conversation with DeRay Mckesson and Brene Brown starts at 40 min.
Article: “White Anti-Racism Must Be Based in Solidarity, Not Altruisim,” by Jesse Myerson, The Nation, February 5 2018.
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4/14/2018: Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
Podcast: “The Courage to Show Up,” Pod Save the People podcast, episode “Joy & the Gift” from 3/6/18. Sociologist Brene Brown and activist DeRay Mckesson discuss the importance of vulnerability and how we are all co-creating solutions to racism together.
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3/10/2018: Raising White Kids: Bringing up Children in a Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
Additional Resources:
Website: http://www.embracerace.org/ – Holds a monthly online and phone conversation about different topics with lots of archives you can watch
Website: http://www.raceconscious.org/ – a resource for talking about race with young kids, lots of concrete examples
Children’s books lists:
The Conscious Kid Blog – A lending library and subscription program and lists.
Multicultural Children’s Books from Huffington Post
“28 More Black Picture Books That Aren’t About Boycotts, Buses or Basketball” (from Scott Woods Makes Lists)
“Where to Find Diverse Books” (from We Need Diverse Books)“Captivating Kids Stories to Recognize Privilege” (from Books for Littles)
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Upcoming Events
207-374-5515 
library@bhpl.net
