YWCA Minneapolis Hosts 17th Annual It’s Time to Talk: Forums on RaceTM
MEDIA ADVISORY
YWCA Minneapolis will hold its 17th annual It’s Time to Talk: Forums on RaceTM Oct. 2 featuring the nationally-renowned speaker and thought-provoking author, Ibram X. Kendi.Ibram X. Kendi is a New York Times bestselling author and the founding director of The Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. He is a professor of history and international relations, a frequent public speaker and an ideas columnist at The Atlantic. He is the author of “How to Be an Antiracist,” “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, and “The Black Campus Movement,” which won the W.E.B. Du Book Prize.Kendi is touring the nation promoting his latest book, “How to Be an Antiracist,” which was released this August. Most recently, he was featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian, among others. It’s Time to Talk is his only scheduled stop in Minnesota.At this YWCA Minneapolis signature event, attendees will hear a keynote address to consider facets of racism and equity – and engage in intentional, facilitated dialogue with those at their table. Over 1,000 diverse leaders in business, education, arts and nonprofit attend each year."The biggest impact of the event is that participants are empowered to have really meaningful, deep conversations and recognize those implicit and explicit biases that we all have," says Deborah Hilke, YWCA Minneapolis board member and committee chair of the event. "It’s Time to Talk is more than learning about racism, equity and inclusion – it’s about learning new skills and committing to taking action."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.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 2, 2019, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.11:30 am – 12:30 pm Welcome and Keynote Presentation12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Participant Dialogues
WHERE:
Minneapolis Convention Center1301 Second Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55403
PHOTO/INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
- Ibram X. Kendi, New York Times bestselling author and the founding director of The Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University
- Rubén Vázquez, YWCA Minneapolis Vice President Racial Justice and Public Policy
WHY:
At YWCA Minneapolis It’s Time to Talk: Forums on Race, community members will become allies, advocates and friends, working together for racial equality and understanding. YWCA Minneapolis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women and girls. For more than 128 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 racial justice advocacy and training, early childhood education, girls and youth programming and health and wellness.Media members are invited to film before and/or after the event and during the keynote presentation. Media is welcome to photograph shots of the event, but not make sound recordings during the participant dialogues. All images and recordings can only be used for media stories about It’s Time to Talk: Forums on Race event on October 2, 2019.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Cori MattliYWCA Minneapolis(office) 612-215-4107 (cell) 612-460-1125cmattli@ywcampls.org