A.C.T.O.R (A Continuing Talk on Race)
Date and Time
Apr 3, 2016 5:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Apr 3, 2016 5:00 pm
14th & V
The A.C.T.O.R. (A Continuing Talk on Race) open discussion series is hosted by Busboys and Poets as a community service. It provides the opportunity for people to come together and speak openly and honestly about issues of race. The intent is that each person walks away from the discussion feeling something: challenged, educated, uncomfortable, enlightened, refreshed, reassured and hopefully inspired and moved to action! Each month there is a new topic for discussion.
Free and open to all.
This Month's Topic: Operation Understanding DC
Operation Understanding DC’s mission is to build a generation of African American and Jewish community leaders who promote respect, understanding and cooperation while working to eradicate racism, anti Semitism and all forms of discrimination.
OUDC students begin this year long, experiential learning program as curious high school juniors and graduate as committed leaders for social justice. Throughout the year, they meet in boardrooms and church basements around Washington for educational sessions and honest dialogue about slavery, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights movement, current national and international issues, religion and spirituality, and much more. In July, they travel from New York City to the Deep South to explore their histories and create their blueprints for future activism. Each day is filled with inspirational speakers, educational tours and life-changing experiences.
Upon returning, OUDC’s students begin the real work of creating change. They give presentations about their experiences in synagogues and churches, facilitate workshops about stereotyping and discrimination for individuals from all age groups and find other creative ways of promoting respect and understanding.
OUDC’s more than 400 graduates dedicate themselves to continuing the work they began in OUDC in immeasurable ways: securing the freedom of wrongly convicted prisoners; shaping public policy at the national, state and local levels; strengthening schools and neighborhoods as National Teaching, Teach for America, Coro and Avodah fellows; and community organizing on issues such as a living wage, education and workers’ rights.
The African American and Jewish communities, through an enduring relationship made famous in the 1960s, remain at the forefront of the social justice movement. While the struggle may now have a different focus, the core values that inspire it remain the same. OUDC’s participants proudly accept the mantle of this legacy and stand together as vocal allies in creating a society where all members have equal access to opportunity and freedom from discrimination.
Panelist will include:
Facilitated by:
Avi Edelman, the program director of Operation Understanding DC (OUDC). Avi has over a decade of experience as an educator and facilitator, working with a diverse array of youth in experiential learning settings ranging from remote overnight camps to urban college campuses. He is also a film editor and has collaborated with Brooklyn-based director Matthew Bonifacio on several award-winning feature and short films.
Leading Change. Strengthening Identity. Exploring History. www.oudc.org
A.C.T.O.R. is held on the first Sunday of every month at Busboys and Poets 14 th & V; 5:00 PM.
