2023-4 Campus-wide book discussion

In March 2024, we asked Suffolk community members which zip codes they come from and how they commuted to school. We received over 300 responses over two weeks!

The community read eight chapters from Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 1619 project:

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    • Be present – try to put aside the usual distractions so that you can fully engage with this conversation
    • Speak from the heart, listen without judgment 
    • Respect silence 
    • Everyone is welcome to speak – no one is required to (feel free to share your thoughts in the chat to)
    • Maintain confidentially
    • If things get difficult – turn to wonder. Turn from reaction and judgment to wonder and compassionate inquiry. Ask yourself, “I wonder why they feel/think this way?” or “I wonder what my reaction teaches me about myself?”
    • Set aside judgment to listen to others—and to yourself—more deeply
    1. What initial thoughts came up for you when you read these chapters?

    Ch 14 Music

    1. Wesley Morris argued that white America has an ancient, ambivalent appetite for Blackness. How do you understand this claim? In addition to music, what other “blackness” does white American seek?
    2. Morris mentioned a number of black artists who were said to have gone too “white”, but he sounds ambivalent about what “white-washing” black culture is. What is your understanding of this?

    Ch 15 Healthcare

    1. How do racist ideas from slavery continue to impact the health care of Black people in the present day?
    2. Does this have a negative impact on public health in general as well, that affects all citizens?

    Ch 16 Traffic

    1. What is the history of mass transit in your community, city, or state? What can be done in the future to expand access to mass transit in your community?  

    Ch. 17 Progress

    1. What fuels the push to paint America as a nation of progress? Why do Americans need to believe in progress? How can this belief in racial progress be harmful? 

    Ch. 18 Justice

    1. Can the US come to accept the truth about the past and move toward reconciliation? Why or why not?
    2. How can this country make amends for the legacy of slavery, theft, violence, terror, and mass incarceration?

    Final questions:

    1. What was your emotional reaction to the final chapters?
    2. Anything else that we haven’t covered?

     

    What is a FPLC?

    FPLC at Suffolk

    FPLC Members 2023-2024

    Ilona Anderson (Art and Design)
    Greg Beaver (Management)
    Michael Dello Iacono (Moakley Archive and Institute)
    Micky Lee (Communication, Journalism, and Media/CAS Dean’s Office)