FollowOn May 3, Willamette University professor Emily Drew came to the Ashland Public Library as part of the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project series. Her presentation “White Out” aims at creating an open environment where people can engage in discourse concerning race and change in Oregon. Questions were raised such as: What does racial integration of a place require of us? How do we create constructive conversations about race? How is doing nothing a contributing force to racial tensions?
I really enjoyed hearing Ms. Drew speak. She was professional, encouraging, engaging, and really helped facilitate an interesting discussion. I liked that her speaking style was light on the lecture side and really tried to get everyone in the audience involved in a productive conversation.
It’s always interesting to hear other people’s opinions and experiences concerning race. That being said, it is more than likely you will come into contact with someone at a lecture such as this whose opinion you don’t agree with. However, I’d like to think that is part of the learning experience.
