systemic racism

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Jeremiah and other members of Theatre of the Oppressed to talk about your work at the Riverside Church and beyond

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Janet McKenzie, a Vermont artist, to discuss her artwork and the impact it has had.

Vermont artist Janet McKenzie burst into the international spotlight in 1999 when her painting Jesus of the People won the National Catholic Reporter’s competition for a new image of Jesus. Sister Wendy Beckett, host of the PBS show Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting, described it as “a haunting image of the peasant Jesus – dark and thick-lipped, looking out on us with ineffable dignity, with sadness but with confidence. Over His white robe, He draws the darkness of our lack of love, holding it to Himself, prepared to transform all sorrows if we will let Him.” As we enter this Holiday season, we shall become better acquainted with this White Vermonter who has expanded the scope of religious imagination through her multiracial and multicultural concepts of God’s presence among and within us.

HOPE video credit: musician Sara Thomsen www.sarathomsen.com

To contact Jackie McKenzie and learn more about her art, visit: www.janetmckenzie.com

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Jonathan Ellwanger, Director of the Green Mountain Gospel Choir. Choir members VanDora Williams, Dawn Ellis, Barbara Criss, George Fradenburg, Shilpa Pierpont- Hale, Liz Dallas, and Angelina Pearson also join the conversation.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we invite the Green Mountain Gospel Choir, directed by Jonathan Ellwanger, to serenade us with songs of praise and thanks from the African American tradition.

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

Rev. Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, hosts an episode of The Juxtaposition about issues affecting Black Folks and Black Folks effecting change.

From Mark Hughes:

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and other federal civil rights divisions have been decommissioned, gutted, or politically repurposed. Executive actions create a dangerous escalation in the federal government's support for authoritarian policing and new task forces involving state and local police, significantly raising the risk of racial profiling. What's a brave little state to do? How do we protect all the people of Vermont?

For more information about Vermont Racial Justice Alliance visit: VTRacialJusticeAlliance.org