I have a dream with this theme on and off, with the scenario of how it plays out being different each time. The recurring theme is that it’s the first day of the semester, or one of the first days, and I’ve gone to my first class. It’s over, and when I leave to go to my next class it occurs to me that I don’t know which class is next on my schedule, and I don’t have my schedule with me.
Last night, it played out like this:
| I left my first class and went to the Registrar’s office to get a copy of my schedule and they told me that the registrar’s office had moved, and pointed me to a somewhat nearby building, but not right next door. I walked carefully around snow and puddles of water on a dirt road to get to the new building and when I got there, they let me in.
It turned out to be Oprah’s house, which I only know because she was in it. She handed me a Klondike bar and her digital camera with a cord extending from it that didn’t connect to anything. It just dangled. “You can use this to access the Internet and check your schedule,” she said. She turned to leave, but then turned back toward me and looking at my Klondike bar said, “Mind the rug with that,” to which I looked down and we both said at the same time, “It’s a very expensive carpet.” I turned the digital camera on and as the viewer lit up and came into focus, it was showing the Internet Explorer Web browser, from which I checked my schedule. I have no idea how, though, as there definitely wasn’t a keyboard or a stylus or anything. |
Who knows what these things mean! Interestingly, earlier in the evening, at book club, Mary and Suzanne mentioned that Oprah had a guy on her show today who wrote the book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” and a lady asked him what men really want in terms of hygiene “down there,” to which he replied something about “her carpet” when referring to shaving or not shaving that area.
That’s the only “exposure” (so-to-speak) that I had to both Oprah and carpets within the recent past.
I caught the 8:00 bus today instead of the 8:30 bus, and lo and behold, so had that little girl and her mother. Mom was carrying her genetics notebook again.
Have I ever mentioned that one of the things that I absolutely love about riding the bus is being able to just shut my eyes while riding if I’m tired. You know how sometimes when you’re tired, and driving, and you’d give anything just to be able to close your eyes—not even necessarily to sleep—just to give them a rest. That feeling. And you can do it any time on the bus. Glorious.
My day started off with a 9:00 meeting, which is not my favorite way to start a Monday. It was a meeting with a fun team, though, so that helped.
I walked to the NC State bookstore at lunch today, as they’re having a sale today and tomorrow—most things in the store 33% off, with some items as high as 75% off. I ended up buying a (black, surprise surprise) t-shirt and a lanyard to hold my work badges, each at 33% off.
I caught the Southeast Loop Wolfline bus, going in the wrong direction, and wasted about 20 minutes. I could have been back to the office in about 10, instead of 30. Oh well. I learned something.
Tonight was our fourth, and second-to-the-last Study Circle meeting, which went from 5:00-7:00, and at which a gal named Melissa substituted for Joy.
I shared my story about Claudette Colvin and the Lewis CK joke I heard about white privilege. We had some good discussion around the Claudette Colvin story.
Tonight’s agenda was as follows:
- Making connections
- How is the study circle going so far?
- What are the hopes for the last two sessions?
- Our Community Report Card
- Look at the grades. Where do we agree? Where do we differ?/LI>
- How did you decide what grade to give?
- When you look at the report card what successes do you see?
- When you look at the report card what are one or two challenges we need to address?
- Looking at the Viewpoints
- Does one of the viewpoints, or some combination of views, come closest to your own? Why?
- What life experiences or values inform your perspective?
- What view(s) are most distant from your own? What experiences, beliefs, and values might lead a reasonable person to support the views that are different from your own?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective?
- Besides the ones presented here, what other kinds of policies would help us to reduce racism and improve race relations? What, if any, perspectives are missing?
- What proposals would you like to see policymakers concentrate on? Why?
- Looking at the article: 10 Myths of Affirmative Action
- Do you agree that they are myths? Do you disagree with any of them?
- Do you think that any of them are truths?
- What Can We Do to Improve Race Relations
- In pairs, discuss what changes need to take place in society and on campus to improve race relations.
- What good things are we already doing?
- How can we build on these?
- What else will help us make progress?
- What problems will we face?
- Approaches to Change
- Have we already tried any of these approaches? If so, what happened?
- Which approaches do you like best? Why?
- What other approaches can you think of?
- Which approaches address racism in our institutions?
- What approaches won’t work? Why?
- Closing: Turn to your neighbor and discuss the following:
- How did the session go?
- What ideas do you agree with or disagree with?
- Write in your Reflection Journal.