john a powell: The Path to a Fair and Inclusive Society

KPFA Radio & Marcus Books present "Considering Ferguson...all the Fergusons..."

john a. powell
Professor of Law, Professor of African-American Studies & Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley

Tickets: 800-838-3006 or independent bookstores http://www.kpfa.org/events

"powell challenges those of us who consider ourselves relatively evolved on issues of race and social justice to think far more critically about the basic assumptions and paradigms that frame our perspectives, animate our scholarship, and drive our advocacy." -Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow

The Path to a Fair and Inclusive Society: Seeing the Other in Me is a discourse on how we can work together to create political, economic, and social systems that support individuals in becoming compassionate, competent, and responsible members of the wider community. While justice and fairness are needed to support effective participation, how do we ensure that those who are excluded-whether it be by race, class, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or the like-belong and are included in the circle of human concern? In light of the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, there is an urgent need to address systemic structural inequalities that police the bodies of some members of society more heavily than others. This dialogue will enable us to inhabit the space of a South African proverb, Sawubona, which means "We see you." By "seeing" the other beyond our differences, we can create community that supports the personal and socially transformative ways of living and being in an increasingly complex and segregated world.

john a. powell (lower case his choice) is an internationally recognized expert in civil rights and civil liberties as well as a wide range of issues including race, structural racism, ethnicity, housing, poverty, and democracy.

Brian Edwards-Tiekert is a host on UpFront, a KPFA public affairs show weekdays at 7 AM.