For immediate useNov. 7, 1997 - No. 829

Photo opportunity: AmeriFair, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 17; Polk Place, the Pit

All cultures' contributions to society to be honored on Race Relations Week

By LAURA J. TOLER
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- Poems and songs, open-mike discussions, a thought-provoking film and a cultural fair all will be part of Race Relations Week, beginning Monday (Nov. 10) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“Savage Inequalities: Institutional Racism and Public Education,” an address Thursday (Nov. 13) by author, educator and activist Jonathan Kozol, will highlight the week of events organized by Students for the Advancement of Race Relations, part of the Campus Y. Events will be free and open to all.

“Our goal is to educate the campus about institutional racism and discuss ways that it affects how we relate to each other,” said Sean Shelby, a New Orleans senior who chairs the sponsoring group. “We also want to foster a feeling of inclusiveness.”

Events are for everyone, not minorities only, said Shelby. And race relations issues examined will go beyond black-white perspectives. For example, the Carolina Hispanic Association and the Asian Students Association will be among student groups with booths in Polk Place and the Pit from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 17 for AmeriFair. Art, clothing, music and food all will be part of the fair, which Shelby said aims to celebrate how all facets of America's diverse cultural heritage have contributed to society.

Longtime social activist Kozol, the week's keynote speaker, will lead a dialogue with UNC-CH students and professors and local educators from 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 13) in 121 Hanes Art Center. That night at 8 p.m., he will deliver his address in Hill Hall Auditorium. The Campus Y and the Critical Issues Committee of the Carolina Union Activities Board will sponsor his visit.

Kozol has written seven award-winning books which focus on the disadvantaged. “Death At An Early Age,” published in 1967, describes Kozol's first-year experience as an urban teacher. The book won the 1968 National Book Award in Science, Philosophy and Religion.

His second book, “Illiterate America,” helped generate a national campaign for adult literacy. In “Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America,” Kozol portrays day-to-day struggles of some of America's poorest people. The book won the 1989 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and the Conscience in Media Award of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

“Savage Inequities: Children in America's Schools,” written in 1992, shows disparities in America's public school system. It won the New England Book Award in non-fiction. “Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation,” published in 1993, details two years of conversation with children, parents and clergy of an impoverished urban neighborhood.

Race Relations Week also will include:

• “Campus Perspectives on Race” 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday (Nov. 10) outside Wilson Library, Polk Place. Everyone is invited to express perspectives on race relations and diversity at this open-mike forum sponsored by Student Government. Student Body President Mo Nathan and local attorney Alan McSurely will be among speakers. Refreshments will be served.
• “Underground Expressions,” 6-7 p.m. Monday (Nov. 10), Union Cabaret, Frank Porter Graham Student Union. Students will explore ideas about race relations and diversity through song, dance, poetry, prose and other forms of artistic expression at this open-mike forum sponsored by the Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center (BCC). Refreshments will be served.
• “Skin Deep,” 7 p.m. Monday (Nov. 10), the BCC, Frank Porter Graham Student Union. This critically acclaimed documentary by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Francis Reid tells the story of college students nationwide confronting race relations in America. Discussion will follow. Food will be served. Theta Nu Xi, a multicultural sorority, will sponsor the event.
• “The BCC: Enriching the Cultural Life of the Entire Campus,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 11), 100 Hamilton Hall. Student Government and the BCC will sponsor this program on how a free-standing BCC, for which UNC-CH is raising funds, would benefit the entire campus community.
• “Love Across Racial Lines,” 7 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 12), 100 Hamilton Hall. Kappa Alpha Psi and Theta Nu Xi will co-sponsor this discussion on interracial relationships.

For more information, call the Campus Y at 962-2333 or Sean Shelby at 967-7997.

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Contact: Laura J. Toler