Deeper thinking resulting from discussions…

- Dick Myers -

Wide ranging as usual but characterized by more than usual references to books and a podcast of interest. We started with mention of a new podcast offered through the NY Times, “Nice white parents”. A report on a school issue taking place in Brooklyn that pits a group of white parents against the PTA of an ethnically diverse school regarding a language enrichment program. This podcast illustrates some of the difficulties that we face in trying to workout solutions in a complicated society.

The books mentioned during our discussion included:

• Blue Bias- An Ex-Cop Turned Philosopher Examines the Learning and Resolve Necessary to End Hidden Prejudice in Policing
• Educated - The author recounts overcoming her survivalist Mormon family in order to go to college, and emphasizes the importance of education to enlarging her world.
• Just Mercy - A Story of Justice and Redemption
• The Warmth of Other Suns - he Epic Story of America's Great Migration
• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents - The author s examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

The group also made references to a New York Times recent supplement on women's right to vote.

A good part of time in this session was spent discussing a recent Pasadena shooting, where the officer’s body cam was not on, bringing these issues in very close to home. Following the meeting, I received a note from one of the participants, making the following statement:

“I realize how my thinking is deepening about interactions between police and Black people because of these discussions. The discussion became local today. The recent police shooting in Pasadena immediately raised questions in my mind: What if I were the one driving around the corner with a missing front license plate? If I were stopped and I showed the officer the plate which rested on my dashboard explaining that it had fallen off right after I recently purchased the car, would I be asked to get out of the car? Would my passenger be asked to get out of the car? Or would I just be given a ticket and sent on my way ending any further communication?”

These discussions do make a difference!

Join us for our next discussion on first Friday, September 7 at 10:00 am PST.