Last Updated on December 26, 2023
Multiracial Awareness Discussion Group

Lois Schmidt, Leader
Joan Green, Co-Leader
We offer opportunities for learning and discussion about race for those concerned with racial justice and harmony.
Meeting Frequency & Location
Have you felt like the race problems in our would are too big but you are still concerned and want to make a difference? Have you wondered about questions like, “How can I talk comfortably with someone who is different from me? Why is it important to talk about race? What brought us to this place and time with regard to racial issues? What would a racially just and equitable society look and feel like? Will we ever get there?”
We invite you to join in the discussion. The group will start by looking at some of the historical events and doctrines, perpetuated by community institutions and the government that have affected race and racial perceptions.
SCHEDULE | TIME | LOCATION |
2nd or 3rd Friday of the Month | 10:00 am – noon | To be announced |
Multiracial Awareness Discussion Group Goals and Objective
Our Goal: A shared focus on the importance of continuing our discussion of structural racism and our common interest in developing racial justice.
To accomplish this goal, we will:
- Continue our comparative analysis of American history and today’s responses to racial prejudice;
- Gain an understanding of how traditional views (for example, of “melting pot” theories and “colorblindness” policies) have ignored and denied racism in the United States;
- Expand our discussion of social issues and institutions that maintain racism;
- Alter prejudicial patterns of thought and behavior; and
- Seek ways to build racial equity and inclusion to help create a new and more hopeful legacy for now and for future generations.
Multiracial Awareness Discussion Group Meets on Zoom January 15

Photo Credit: Fibonucci Blue
Everyone interested in racial justice is invited to attend the January meeting, which replaces the meeting originally planned for December.
Multiracial Awareness Discussion Group
Friday, January 15, 2021
10 AM on ZoomAI Companion is a generative AI-powered assistant from Zoom (for those with the paid version). It uses large language models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, and has also trained itself by listening in on thousands of meetings between Zoom employees. Some of its uses include:
• Summarizing... READ MORE
Topic: A Study of Reparations
Discussion will be based on the Black Lives Movement [M4BL] policy statement on reparations.
Reserve and receive zoom link through Gil Fisher.
Email and phone: Resident Directory MyErickson.
References for the discussion:
https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/reparations/
Read the page and then scroll down to the choices at the bottom. Click on the “Reparations Now Tool Kit.” This is a huge document but very thorough with many activities to stimulate thinking.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/
A must-read essay by Ta Nehesi Coates in “The Atlantic” 2014. It’s really long but very worth the time. In October, 2020, it was named the “Top Work of Journalism of the Decade” by a panel of judges convened by NYU’s Carter Journalism Institute.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/15/us/slavery-reparations-explanation-trnd/index.html
A shorter summary of Reparations. Also worth the read.