“Beyond Guns and God”: How the white working class views race in the U.S.

Posted September 21st, 2012 by
Category: Living consequences

Beyond Guns and GodThe non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute has just released a survey of white, working-class Americans which presents a fairly complicated, nuanced picture of this demographic, which comprises one-third (36%) of all Americans.

The survey, and the institute’s report, Beyond Guns and God: Understanding the Complexities of the White Working Class in America, refute a variety of stereotypes held by both the left and right of the white working class, which the researchers defined as white, non-Hispanic Americans without four-year college degrees and holding non-salaried jobs. The survey shows, for instance, that white, working-class Americans do not tend to align with the Tea Party, are not generally motivated by social issues like abortion or same-sex marriage, do not vote always against their economic interests, and do not support unrestricted free-market capitalism.

One area where the survey does seem to confirm stereotypes of the white working class, however, is on the subject of race.

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Internship opportunity in racial justice

Posted September 17th, 2012 by
Category: News and Announcements Tags: , , , , , ,

The Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery is seeking a fall intern in the Boston area to work on issues of racial justice. Project assignments can be tailored to the intern’s interests and experience, but possibilities include research on issues related to the history and legacy of racial discrimination, design of educational and civic dialogue programs, social media and public relations outreach, fundraising initiatives, and event management.

Applicants should have an interest in social justice, especially racial justice, and may also be interested in non-profit outreach and advocacy, education issues, communities of faith, the use of film for social advocacy, or public history.

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The Tracing Center at the 77th Episcopal General Convention

Posted July 1st, 2012 by
Category: News and Announcements Tags: ,

The Tracing Center and Traces of the Trade will be at the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, July 3-10, in Indianapolis.

The Tracing Center will have a booth in the exhibition hall, with a variety of informational materials and staff to talk with about the film, our programming, and any questions or concerns you’d like to discuss. Look for us in booth 731 (by the food service area in the middle of the hall).

Our Emmy-nominated PBS documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, will also be screened three times at General Convention, on July 5, July 6, and July 9.

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Racial inequality in life expectancy improving

Posted June 8th, 2012 by
Category: Living consequences Tags: , , , , ,

A report in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that the gap in life expectancy between black and white Americans has improved in recent years.

Racial inequality in health care and health outcomes is one of the most important, and persistent, legacies of our nation’s history of slavery and racial discrimination. On average, black citizens of the Unites States can expect to live several years less than their white counterparts.

However, the racial gap in life expectancy has been narrowing at a surprising rate in recent years. Between 1993 and 2003, the gap declined by about two years for men and one year for women. This new report shows that the gap continued to decline between 2003 and 2008, narrowing by about another year for both men and women.

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Why don’t black Americans swim?

Posted April 11th, 2012 by
Category: Living consequences Tags: , ,

Photo from BBC News storyJames DeWolf Perry is the Tracing Center’s executive director. This entry is cross-posted from James’ own blog, The Living Consequences, and the opinions expressed are his own.

Why don’t black Americans swim?

This is the provocative headline of a BBC News story, and it would be easy to misinterpret the BBC’s meaning. This is, after all, a sweeping generalization, and one which has been a racial stereotype in the United States for many generations.

However, the BBC reporter cites credible statistics to support the widely-held belief that swimming is, in fact, nowhere near as common among black Americans as it is among white Americans.

More importantly, the article argues that this situation arises out of the nation’s painful legacy of slavery and race and has deadly consequences.

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Tim Wise on accountability in racial justice

Posted December 29th, 2011 by
Category: Repair and reparations

Tim Wise has a very thoughtful statement on his web site proposing principles for being accountable to others while working on issues of race and racial justice. It’s obviously the product of considerable reflection over time, as well as engagement with many other people, and it’s well worth reading by anyone working in this field—or who simply wants to make personal progress in this area.

A handful of key passages, and a link to Tim’s full statement on his web site, are below.

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December 2011 newsletter

Posted December 27th, 2011 by
Category: News and Announcements
Here is our December 2011 newsletter. If you would like to receive occasional e-mail like this from us, please click here.
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Dear Friend,

Now in its second year, the Tracing Center continues to engage people from all backgrounds in honest, productive dialogue about race, privilege, and the history of slavery, and to inspire action around these issues.  We hold a variety of ground-breaking programs and events that advance the mission growing out of our award-winning PBS documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. Your generous support ensures that we can continue reaching out to thousands of people across the country and internationally, and having a long-lasting impact on educators, students, public history professionals, faith-based communities, corporations, and more.

The Tracing Center has reached many exciting milestones in 2011. Highlights include:

  • We generated over 90 presentations across the country, and impacted thousands of people with our message of racial justice
  • We offered international screenings in Nairobi, Zanzibar, and London, bringing the film and our programs to broader audiences.  We returned to the Dominican Republic to present at a conference organized by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development in association with UNESCO
  • We partnered with the AmeriCorps Collaborative in Michigan to offer a program on Martin Luther King Day that was attended by over 500 people who donated 900 pounds of food for Feed America
  • We presented at United Nations headquarters, as part of the 4th Annual International Day of Remembrance of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
  • We designed and conducted innovative two-day teacher workshops for Massachusetts educators, at the Royall House and Slave Quarters and at Historic Deerfield
  • We engaged in in-depth programming in New England cities and towns, working to uncover their historic complicity in slavery and to engage residents in ongoing dialogues about slavery’s legacy
  • We expanded our Civil War programming, having an opinion essay, “Civil War’s dirty secret about slavery,” featured on CNN’s web site for the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the war at Fort Sumter
  • We began offering online webinars this summer, training evangelical college students for summer projects in urban communities
  • We initiated a multi-year collaboration to disseminate best practices for interpreting slavery at historic sites and museums, conducting trainings for the National Park Service and partnering with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Association of African American Museums, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, and the American Association for State and Local History, among others
  • Katrina Browne has a forthcoming book chapter on the multi-generational psychological impact of slavery and its implications in the classroom
  • We offered programs at national conferences, including the Kellogg Foundation’s Healing America Conference, National Council for History Education, National Underground Railroad Conference, White Privilege Conference, and National Association for Multicultural Education

Throughout this year, your support has made it possible to advance our unique vision of racial justice and healing. Thank you for believing in our work and its possibilities. With your continued support, we are committed to reaching new and exciting goals in 2012. As we bring the hidden history of enslavement and its pervasive legacies to the forefront of public discussion, we will continue to inspire those working for a more just world.

Please consider making a donation today by visiting https://www.tracingcenter.org/support/.

Thank you.

The Tracing Center team

Want to reach someone at the Tracing Center?

James DeW. Perry, Executive Director
Katrina C. Browne, Director of Ideas and External Affairs
Kristin L. Gallas, Director of Education and Public History
Marga Varea, Director of Events and Development
Juanita Brown, Organizational and Programming Consultant

Office telephone: 617-924-3400

Thank you to our funders in 2011: Mass Humanities, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Lear Family Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, and many generous individuals.

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THE TRACING CENTER

Feedback!

“I learned more about the ins and outs of the slave trade throughout this film and discussion than I ever learned in elementary, middle, and high school combined.”
College student, Roger Williams University

“Last week’s workshop … ranks among one of the most meaningful I’ve ever attended and will have direct impact on the faculty I lead and the curriculum we teach. If I can ever serve as a voice of support for this initiative, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

Attendee at  our 2011 teacher workshop

“Thank you for sharing your family’s story about the slave trade.  It was an inspirational experience.  You engaged us with the power and personal meaning of the account with the video and then made it human with your sensitive, intelligent, compassionate, and courageous dialogue with us.  You helped us see a familiar historical event from a new perspective and helped us see its impact on our lives today and what we might do to address the inequities it created.  Your presentation was one of the most moving I have ever attended.”

David Costello, Head of School, St. Peter’s School

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