Community Conversation: Race February 2, 2012

The Valentine Richmond History Center announces the first in a series of monthly public meetings as part of the Future of Richmond’s Past initiative, a citywide effort to engage audiences in a dialogue about the region’s past and how that past can positively shape our future. The first event will be hosted by the Science Museum of Virginia on Thursday, Feb. 2 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The event is in conjunction with the Science Museum’s launch of “RACE – Are We So Different?” exhibition in late January. Michael Blakey, National Endowment for the Humanities Professor at the College of William & Mary is the first guest speaker.

Blakey will share his perspective on Richmond history related to race. He has been working on the interface of human biology and culture in a variety ways in addition to his research and expertise on African Burial Grounds.

The event is FREE and open to the public. The conversation will be facilitated by Matthew Freeman of TMI Consulting, who will use technology to gather data from the audience in real time.

“The more people that join in the conversation, the more productive our efforts become, and the easier it will be for people to see themselves in the history of the region,” said Bill Martin, Executive Director at the Valentine Richmond History Center.

“RACE: Are We So Different?”, developed by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota, is the first national exhibition to tell the stories of race from the biological, cultural, and historical points of view. Combining these perspectives offers an unprecedented look at race and racism in the United States. The exhibit will be open from Jan. 28 - April 29, 2012.

Subsequent Community Conversation events are scheduled for March, April and May and details for those events are forthcoming.

Official Website: http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/cc_race