TIME: 8 PM ET/7 PM CT | PLATFORM: Zoom | REGISTER: sforce.co/2DM6NeE
Join the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum for a four-part program series on race and racism in our community. Through this series of virtual public programs, we hope to foster an increased understanding of racism in both a historical and contemporary context and an awareness of concrete steps that can be taken to disrupt systemic racism. For these conversations, we will convene a diverse group of experts to share their knowledge, their stories, and their ideas
Thursday’s discussion aims to place race relations and systemic racism in Dallas in historical context. Dallas has a long history of racial inequity and division in education, housing, policing and other sectors that is not often discussed. This discussion will bring this history to light and acknowledge the longstanding structures and policies that still affect communities of color today. We cannot move forward until we understand our historical foundations.
Panelists:
Dr. George Keaton, Jr. is the Founder and Executive Director of Remembering Black Dallas, Inc., a non-profit organization that preserves and promotes African-American life, history, and culture of Dallas and its surrounding cities. Prior to his current role, Keaton spent 31 years with the Dallas Independent School District. A 4th generation native of Dallas, Keaton has spent most of his life researching and studying his own history and the history of African-Americans in Dallas. In 2019, he was inducted into the Trailblazer’s Hall of Fame of Dallas County for educators. He received a B.S. in Education and Music from the University of North Texas, Master’s degrees in clinical counseling and school counseling from Amberton University, an Educational Administration Certification from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a doctorate in humanities from the Texas Bible Institute & Seminary.
Sol Villasana is a civil trial attorney with over 37 years of experience and author of Dallas’ Little Mexico. He is Of Counsel in the White & Wiggins, LLP Dallas office. He is a civil trial lawyer and certified mediator with years of experience in the Dallas and north Texas legal community. He has served as Board Member for a number of community organizations, including the Rockwall County Bar Association, Dallas Mexican American Historical League, Rockwall LULAC Council 22344, SMU Alumni Association, The Family Place, and Helping Hands of Rockwall County. Mr. Villasana is a prolific writer and frequent speaker on a variety of legal and public policy issues. He received a B.S. from Southern Methodist University and a J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Jodi Voice Yellowfish is Muscogee Creek, Oglala Lakota, and Cherokee. A product of the U.S. government’s Relocation Program, Jodi was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and has lived in Oak Cliff her entire life. Jodi is an ambassador for American Indian Heritage Day in Texas and Indian Citizens Against Racial Exploitation, Chair for MMIW Texas (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn), member of the steering committee for Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation, and organizes with Our City Our Future. Jodi is also an adoptive parent. She attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas where she received her Associate's Degree in Social Work and studied for her Bachelor's Degree in Indigenous and American Indian Studies.
Moderator:
Kamilah Collins is President of Collins Collaborations, a national consulting group. She offers more than 20 years of workshop facilitation, program management, and community engagement expertise. Collins' creative and practical strategies bridge the communication divide and encourage accountability. Her enthusiasm and commitment to partner organizations inspires hearts and minds around the country. To name a few organizations that have worked with Collins Collaborations -- Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation, Texas Women's Foundation, the National Urban League, IBM, Communities Foundation of Texas, and of course Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. Visit the Collins Collaborations website to learn more https://www.collinscollaborations.com/.
Click here to watch the first session, Starting the Conversation (presented on July 23, 2020).