Each week, the White Privilege Conference and the Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion, housed at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS), hosts a half hour radio show called Intersections Radio that features an interview with a different author, scholar, and/or speaker.
On the September 11, 2011, the show featured Paul Kivel, whose work grows out of four decades in community education, engaged parenthood, political writing, and practical activism all focused on one overriding question: How can we live and work together to nurture each individual and create a multicultural society based on love, caring, justice, and interdependence with all living things?
Paul believes we each have a responsibility to help create a world worthy of our children. As Rabbi Tarfon wrote many centuries ago, “It is not upon you to finish the work. Neither are you free to desist from it.”
Paul's Mission:
My mission is to use my teaching, mentoring, writing, and activism to provide a wide variety of accessible educational and training opportunities and materials in different media, languages, and formats that help provide people with a vocabulary, a framework, and critical thinking skills to increase their capacity for being active in struggles for social justice. In particular, my work will support grassroots community struggles for social justice by addressing, educating, challenging, and channeling resources from allies and mainstream communities and will support the leadership of women, men, and women of color, people of low-income, and people from other marginalized groups, particularly young people.
Intersections Radio is hosted by Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., founder of the White Privilege Conference (WPC), which is held annually in cities across the United States; and Daryl Miller, who works with the WPC and other programs of the Matrix Center. The WPC is an award-winning national diversity conference that serves as a yearly opportunity to examine and explore difficult issues related to white privilege, white supremacy, and oppression, and works to dismantle systems of power, prejudice, and inequality. College students from around the country participate in the conference for academic credit.
Comments
Racial Justice and Equality
I believe that by engaging in Paul's mission we can truly work to achieve racial justice and equality. Education is key in fighting for justice and equality. We can not simply turn our heads to the racism that occurs in the United States, but we must secure a future for our children that is worthy to live in. Bringing awareness and educating our children and younger generations allows for greater hope in beating racism and injustice.
I agree that education is the
I agree that education is the key in fighting for justice and equality as well. In order for people to gain all of the rights they deserve, people have to be aware of all of the injustices and inequalities that go on in our world. Only then, will the world become what it is capable of.
To Do Right By One Another is a Way of Life
I agree with Paul that working to achieve racial justice, or ANY kind of justice, is a way of life. For me living that type of life is an unseen, spiritual struggle and achievable only when we are willing to put moral law above all other types of law. But for moral law to be acknowledged, we have to have set standards that people abide by and that's what religion provides for me - a framework through which I know how a person should be judged. All other alternative frameworks hit pitfalls when they clash with our moral consciousness like racial injustice...in many ways it's hard for us to pinpoint why its wrong, or how/why it still exists, but our conscious (which I believe is in tune with morality), if sufficiently unclouded by opposing social norms, recognizes the wrongness of it. To make people aware of this necessarily means pushing people to think logically and morally before they think politically, financially, etc.
Tackling the Issue on Racial Justice & Equality
I strongly agree to Rabbi Tarfon’s quote “It is not upon you to finish the work. Neither are you free to desist from it,” because this precisely describes that whoever generation is able and willing should certainly contribute to working for a better way of life no matter what the issue is. It was be foolish to think that an issue can be finished at any instance as it is always an on-going concern, however, it would be unfair for the next generation and future generations to come if we did not at least contribute for the betterment of the cause. There is always room for improvement, and a safer and secure future for ourselves and our children to come.
Considering that the concept of racial inequality throughout history is difficult to pinpoint, it is still important for those who can teach, such as Paul Kivel, to spread the word and educate those who otherwise would not have had the opportunity or awareness about the immoral wrongs of racial injustice and inequality. Concepts including race relations, lack of education, denying women rights, income status discrimination, social and political statuses are only a few out there that affect the on-going struggle for racial justice and equality. Each one of these ideas should be solved as it is the key to tackling the issue of racial justice and equality. Once justice and equality is established universally, the advancement and productivity for all races, and the global community as a whole will begin to thrive.
I agree with you that it is
I agree with you that it is important for everyone to contribute to paving they was for a more fair and more positive future. However, we cannot expect everyone else to do the work as well as we should allow ourselves a realistic look on what we can accomplish. I realize that I am only one person and that, in the scheme of things, there is a limited number of things I can do, but that does not mean I should not do what I can. It is crucial that we realize our limits, but it is also important that we don't let that make us completely give up. We should most definitely do all that we can, but this issue will not -- by any means -- go away overnight. It will take many more generations to lessen the inequality that is intertwined with our society, but we must persevere and do all we can.
I think that it is wonderful
I think that it is wonderful that there are so many people in the world that are helping the cause of inequality. The biggest factor that impedes the cause is the silence of the issue. If we are to keep the issue behind closed doors then how can we ever address the issue in the real world. But to bring the issue to light of all individuals we should look to political leaders that can be influential to the change.
So true
It is so true that education is power. If we learn about discrimination and how to overcome it, it is our obligation to share this knowledge with our future leaders and children. Achieving racial and social justice is definitely a way of life. Just as we were not able to walk when we first tried, we will not be able to achieve our goals on our first time. Perseverance is a must and we have to stay strong and true to our beliefs to ever begin to see a change.
I think that you make an
I think that you make an excellent point. Education and knowledge are undeniably powerful and with these things we can really make a change. I think the first step in eliminating or even lessening oppression and discrimination is to learn about them. We must acknowledge their existence and understand how privilege and oppression interact. After this we are able to make a much more powerful and lasting adjustment. Being educated makes a world of difference in knowing how to be tolerant, accepting, and respectful to a diverse group of people. Education leads to understanding and it is invaluable.
One persons work
I don’t feel the importance of individuals like this can be stressed enough. Its hard to conceptualize how just one person can make a influence, you always assume one person can’t make that big of a difference. While that may be true one person making a difference to a group of people then inspires that group of people to due the same and so on. Not only that but its important to appreciate how much time and effort these individuals taking out of their own life’s to stand up for something that they believe in.
Racial Justice and equality
This article speaks the truth, but the entire system needs to commit to a 360 degree change in order to create racial justice and equality. Education is the light in this but opportunities need to be given to everyone equally distributed.