YWCA Minneapolis First-Ever Virtual It’s Time To Talk: Forums on Race™ Coming this October
September 30, 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – YWCA Minneapolis will hold the 18th annual It’s Time to Talk: Forums on Race Oct. 21 featuring a fireside chat with nationally-renowned speaker, author and thought leader Khaled Beydoun, and award-winning author and professor of History and Asian American Studies, Dr. Erika Lee.
Khaled Beydoun is a leading thinker on national security, civil rights and constitutional law. He has published a series of books, including the critically acclaimed “American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear.” Erika Lee is the director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota. Lee was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and is vice president of the Organization of American Historians.
At this YWCA Minneapolis signature event, attendees hear a keynote address to consider facets of racism, equity and inclusion, and engage in intentional, facilitated dialogue with those at their virtual “table.” Over 1,000 diverse leaders in business, education, arts and nonprofit attend each year.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, this event has shifted to a virtual platform and expanded to address the issues most impacting our community. New to this year’s event is access to exclusive workshops leading up to the event, as well as new ticketing options for people interested in just watching the keynote address.
“We are looking forward to this year’s event as an incredible opportunity for people to engage in critical racial justice work. Change is needed and we can work together to achieve it. As a community, we must work in partnership to dismantle systemic racism and rebuild our community,” says Michelle Basham, YWCA Minneapolis president and CEO.
The strength of our future depends on our ability to develop new skills around inclusion and equity, understand the realities of racism today and commit ourselves to action. This event is one of YWCA Minneapolis’ leading initiatives designed to break through the barriers that perpetuate racism in our community.
About YWCA Minneapolis
YWCA Minneapolis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women and girls. For close to 130 years, we have worked to create opportunities to overcome social injustice, particularly in matters of gender and race. Last year, YWCA Minneapolis served more than 30,000 people in our community through high-quality programs and advocacy focused on racial justice, early learning, youth development and wellness.
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CONTACT: Cori Mattli YWCA Minneapolis cmattli@ywcampls.org 612-460-1125