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Our monthly meeting of the Second Tuesday Race Forum will be on Tuesday, May 13th at 7 PM at the Park Hill United Methodist Church at Montview Blvd and Glencoe St. in Denver. Won't you please join us!

We will continue our exploration of hidden racism and its methods by discussing the new book Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism & Wrecked the Middle Class, by Ian Haney López, Professor of Law at U-Cal Berkeley.  “Think about a term like ‘welfare queen,’ or ‘food stamp president,’” Haney López told Bill Moyers. “On one level, like a dog whistle, it’s silent. Silent about race — it seems race-neutral.” But on another level it has a shrill blast “that can be heard by certain folks … a warning about race and a warning, in particular, about threatening minorities.”

Professor Haney López helps us connect the dots and see clear evidence that racism does not only impact its targets, but all of society.  You can watch highlights and examples he provides at these links.

We are also fortunate to have the opportunity to hear Professor Haney López at the University of Denver on April 22.  He will speak at noon at the Sturm College of Law, Room 165.  It is open to all.

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Date: Wednesday, May 7, Noon-9 p.m. at Iliff Seminary

Description: White Privilege and Practices of Social Justice: A Symposium, is sponsored by National Alliance of Pan African Seminarians (NAPAS) at Iliff and will provide honest dialogue and practical skill-building for participants concerned with dismantling systems of oppression that directly and indirectly implicate various social institutions in the United States.

White privilege is the other side of racism that benefits those commonly understood as white and thereby oppressing those who are not white. This symposium seeks to examine the presence and impacts of white privilege on theologically centered social justice practices to allow participants to explore issues of white privilege, race/racism, diversity, sexism, religion/ religious normativity, social justice.

The half-day symposium will begin with an opening address by Jah Latchmen,NAPAS president, and will include screening films “White Like Me” and “Cracking the Codes,” each followed by discussion. A panel will discuss the topic “Resisting Theologies of Whiteness as Social Justice Practitioners” moderated by Heike Peckruhn, Ph.D, Iliff and DU Instructor.

You can get more detailed information about the symposium HERE

You can register to attend HERE ( the symposium is free and open to the public)

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It seems to me that were the opinion of the court in this case applied to the Colorado Amendment 2 case, the court would have held that Colorado citizens have a right to demand that the state not pass legislation giving special rights to gay people.

The court has ignored the historical context of the question, and its real effects, in a double talk expression of racism. If you have any doubt read the opinion, including Justice Sotomayor's long dissent recalling the history of Jim Crow. Have we lost all the gains for equity I have seen in my lifetime? Are we returning to the political and social meme of the late 19th Century?

And the pro voters on the court know that they are expressing racism, evidenced by their call not to judge that they are acting out of any bad faith. They are, and I do judge them. They are quietly polite white supremacists.

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Film_Flyer (2)

Dear Friends:

We are very excited to invite you to the premiere of a documentary about the Romero Theater Troupe.  Filmmaker Michael Kilman shadowed the troupe for a year, capturing our work, our performances, our hopes and dreams.  His film, Unbound: The Story of the Romero Theater Troupe, will make its debut on Saturday, April 26th at 7:00 pm at Su Teatro (721 Santa Fe).  We hope that this film might contribute to our vision of community empowerment and organizing from below, our vision of theater as a beautiful space to encounter our own voices and to grow in solidarity as a community, our vision of organic theater as a kind of people's theater where the audience participates in the production.  Please come out to see the film and participate in an important Q and A with the filmmaker and the troupe after the film.  Seating and tickets are first come, first serve. You can rsvp at our facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/749183528448801/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

 Hope to see you on the 26th.

paz y solidaridad

Jim