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The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically exposed inequities caused by long-standing racism in the United States, revealing that the need for change is more urgent than ever.

Join us in a free, virtual, two-day community conversation as we imagine a world free of racism and explore what must be done to create this future. Experts will talk about the fundamental changes needed in the institutions of policing, work, health care, and the commons, with interludes by local musicians, poets, and artists. We’ll conclude with a visioning session for all.

Registration required, click on button below to register. Eventbrite confirmation email will include Zoom link and detailed schedule. See Washtenaw Faces Race website for more information or contact Joy at joy@ypsilibrary.org.

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SCHEDULE:

• Friday, February 5  • 6:00-9:00 p.m.6:00 pm Introduction
  • La’Ron Williams, B.F.A., Storyteller and Racial Justice Educator

  6:20 pm Policing Redefined

  • Eli Savit, J.D., Washtenaw County Prosecutor
  • Joe Summers, M.Div., Pastor, Episcopal Church of the Incarnation
  • Desiraé Simmons, B.A., M.S., Co-Director, Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice

   7:25 Poetry and Song

  • Mikhaella Norwood, poet
  • Ypsilanti Community High School Choir, Crystal Harding, Choir Director

  7:35-7:45 BREAK

  7:50 Redefining Work

  • Alford A. Young, Jr., Ph.D., U-M Professor of Sociology and Afroamerican and African Studies

  8:35 Art and Music

  • Yen Azzaro, visual artist
  • KidJay, hip-hop artist

  Saturday, February 6, 2021 • 1:00-4:00 p.m.

  1:15 Healthcare for All

  • Patricia Coleman-Burns, Ph.D., U-M Professor Emerita, School of Nursing
  • Anita Hernandez, M.D., Michigan Medicine and Corner Health Center

  2:00-2:10 BREAK

  2:10 Poetry 

  • Rachael Somers, poet

  2:15 Defense of the Commons

  • Thom Hartmann, Ph.D.,  radio talk show host, author

  3:05 Rescuing Democracy

  • Abdul El-Sayed, M.D., Former Health Director for the City of Detroit and candidate for Governor of Michigan in 2018

  3:15 Envisioning a Future Without Racism

  • Facilitated by Zarinah El-Amin, B.S., M.A., anthropologist and author 
  • Tech support by Eleanore Ablan-Owen, Co-director, Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice

Sponsored by Washtenaw Faces Race , Ypsilanti District Library., University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, and Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice.

This program is funded in part by the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

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