Page 22 - BigConversationsDismantlingRacism
P. 22
All of these activities led up to the Big Conversation VI on
Dismantling Racism and Privilege (BC-DRaP), January 2018
Big Conversation VI: “I Didn’t Know: Exploring Racism and Privilege in Southern
Maryland”. The steering committee arrived at this title after the Catherine Meeks book
th
study and the viewing of the film “13 ”. Many of the participants voiced concern and
surprise that they were unaware of so many things regarding the unequal treatment of Black
people in America. Many White participants had no idea of the history and the role White
privilege continues to play today in the U.S. They had never examined the myths,
misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding race.
Partners of BC-DRaP included Middleham/St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Calvert Library
Prince Frederick, NAACP of Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties, Concerned Black Women of
Calvert, Community Mediation Centers of Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties and the College
of Southern Maryland.
The Big Conversation took place in January 2018 in the Great Hall of Middleham and St.
Peter’s. It was advertised as “A Communitywide Civil Conversation on Dismantling
Racism: “I Didn’t know…Exploring Racism and Privilege in Our Community.” Six local
presenters (Mike Shisler, a school principle; Dr. Carmen Phelps, the Director of the
Institutional Equity and Diversity Office at the College of Southern MD; Michael Kent and
13