Overcoming Racism: Listen, Connect, Commit
Friday, November 18, 2011 8:15 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday, November 19, 2011 8:15 am - 4:30 pm
Metropolitan State University, St. Paul Campus
Plenary session info
Workshop descriptions
Daily schedule
See the Overcoming Racism home page for related learning opportunities

Evaluations: Your feedback is crucial for planning future conferences! Please remember to complete the overall evaluation online here.

The theme of the first day was: How does racism frame our realities? The racial frame: What is it? How does it work. Our Friday keynote speaker was Dr. Joe R. Feagin, scholar and author of many books on racism, including most recently The White Racial Frame: Centuries of Racial Framing and Counter-Framing. Joe Feagin also produces and maintains RacismReview, providing extensive and accessible research and analysis from scholars and researchers across disciplines. Download a reflection on Feagin's book, The White Racial Frame. The day's closing plenary will feature a dynamic & diverse line-up of artist-activists engaged in overcoming racism. More...

The second day focused on how the racial frame affects antiracism work in organizations, institutions and communities. Our keynote speaker was Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years of experience in the field of mental health. Her keynote address, “When I Say Race, People Run: Claiming & Sharing Power through Antiracism Work in Organizations, Institutions and Communities” was based on Dr. Garrett-Akinsanya’s upcoming book. She will explore how to go about having difficult, productive conversations about race that result in systems changes across organizations, institutions and communities. The day's closing plenary highlighted the connections & commitments made by conference participants, and featured a performance by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theater. More...

Cost
Walk-in registration Saturday only (as space available)
$90 single day/$45 for students, pay by cash or check

The Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative recognizes that the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (“North America”) are the rightful occupants of this land. Therefore, indigenous people will have registration fees waived for the Overcoming Racism conference.

Conference Logistics & Special Features

Metropolitan State University
700 East Seventh Street
St. Paul, MN 55106
The campus is located between 7th Street and 6th Street on Maria Avenue
Registration and plenaries in Founders Hall

Directions:
Click here and choose the St. Paul Campus

By Vehicle—choose St. Paul Campus:

By Bus: Routes 61, 67 and 74 travel to Metro State's St. Paul campus:
http://metrotransit.org/Default.aspx

Parking:
Parking is available in a lot on Maria Avenue, directly across from the campus. The parking fee is $2.50/day, payable upon exit, in cash only. Handicapped accessible parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the campus buildings. Please respect the neighbors by parking in the lot instead of on neighborhood streets. 

Help us BE GREEN:
If you use a personal coffee or water container, please bring it for hot and cold drinks. Beverages are allowed in most of the classrooms (signs will be posted if there are restrictions); we do ask that you help us keep the rooms spill-free. The University has separate containers for recycling materials and trash.

Coffee & tea available in the morning but there will NOT be a full breakfast. Bag lunches will be served both days of the conference.

Beverages are allowed in most of the classrooms (signs will be posted if there are restrictions); we do ask that you help us keep the rooms spill-free.

Vending machines are available in the campus buildings.

Sensitivities to fragrances and other chemicals:
Please be mindful of your fellow conference participants with regards to personal application of fragrances, lotions, and soaps. Sensitivities to fragrances and other chemicals are increasingly becoming an environmental concern and can pose serious health risks for some individuals.

Campus building temperatures and coat rack space:
Since campus building temperatures are pre-set, you may want to consider dressing in layers for personal comfort. There will be a few general assembly areas that have coat rack space.

Restrooms: There are men's and women's restrooms in all of the campus buildings. For the duration of the conference, the two restrooms in the Founder's Hall Reception Area will be designated gender neutral.

Recycling: The University has separate containers for recycling materials and trash.

Cell Phones: Please be respectful of those presenting, and others who are learning, and switch your cellular phones and other devices to silent mode.

Internet: If you are not part of the Metropolitan State community, and would like wireless internet access, please ask the volunteers at the registration table for a guest login.

Photography and Recording: Photos will be taken throughout the conference, for documentation and publicity purposes. If you do not wish to be photographed, please let us know at registration. Please refrain from using flash photography during the keynote presentations. At any other time, if you wish to take photos or record audio or video, please ask permission of those who will be in the photo/recording.

Scent Free: In the interest of promoting the health and safety of the conference participants, we encourage everyone to help us maintain a fragrance-free environment.

Smoking: Smoking and / or use of smokeless tobacco is prohibited throughout all indoor space and at or near the front entrance of all buildings and in the courtyard area. Smoking and / or use of smokeless tobacco may occur in designated areas outside facilities.

Wall of Commitment Room Library, Ecolab Community Room 302
Please visit the Wall of Commitment Room to share your thoughts throughout the conference. We provide paper, art supplies, as well as a button machine so you can declare your intentions for the conference and afterward. Commitments made on the Wall will become part of the conference closing ceremony. 

Consider how you will be:
Listening to Understand
Understanding to Connect
Connecting to Empower
Empowering to Commit to personal, social, and systemic transformation.

Reflection Room Library, Board Trustee Room 301
Take time to relax and reflect in the Reflection Room, decorated for comfort, relaxation, and quiet.
 
The Wall of Commitment Room and Reflection Room abut each other in the Library shared by Metropolitan State University and the Dayton’s Bluff Branch of the Saint Paul Public Library.  Both rooms have windows with a stunning view of the city.
 
While you’re visiting the Wall of Commitment Room or the Reflection Room, take some time to see the art in the Gordon Parks Gallery, just a few steps away, open 11 am - 4 pm.

Evaluations: Your feedback is crucial for planning future conferences! Please remember to fill out and return evaluation forms in each workshop as well as for the overall conference. You can also complete the overall evaluation online here.