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The Race Project KC Student Symposium is a day-long event that provides high school students with the opportunity to explore racism – it’s effects and potential solutions - using their minds, their hearts and their feet. Students from diverse schools and experiences will come together to reflect on Kansas City’s racial history, discuss racial equity and explore their own agency as they interact with local community change agents.
The 2019 event features best-selling authors:
  • Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me, The Beautiful Struggle, We Were Eight Years in Power) is the distinguished writer in residence at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and winner of the 2015 National Book Award.
  • Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming, Harbor Me, Each Kindness, and more) is the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and winner of many awards including the 2014 National Book Award and the Coretta Scott King Award.
  • Tanner Colby’s book, Some of My Best Friends Are Black, The Strange Story of Integration in America was nominated for the 2013 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Non-fiction. He has been working with Race Project KC since its inception and his book is an important part of the students’ education about the history of race in Kansas City, and in America, since the Civil Rights Movement.

Session Registration
Please register for sessions you would like to attend by Sunday, April 21 and avoid signing up for the same session twice in a row. If you are not registered on that date, you will be randomly assigned workshops for the day. (So pick them yourself and have way more fun!)


Photo Disclaimer: The Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center is a public building, by attending this event you agree that your image may be used for promotional purposes by Johnson County Library, Johnson County Parks and Recreation and their partners.

Johnson County Library and its board members, officers and employees may disclaim any responsibility for the content of workshops offered by third party facilitators; they are not an expression of Library policy.
Black Box Theater [clear filter]
Thursday, April 25
 

9:30am CDT

LGBTQ Youth & Student Organizing
Limited Capacity seats available

Students will explore the types of common experiences LGBTQ youth face in schools. Students will learn some common language to understand sexuality and gender identities. This workshop will also explore and share effective organizing and safety-planning strategies for building fierce LGBTQ youth movements in your communities.

Speakers
avatar for Merrique Jenson

Merrique Jenson

Merrique Jenson (she/her) is a queer and trans, multiracial anti-violence advocate and artist of color. For the past 17 years, she has worked closely with street-based youth, communities of color, and LGBTQ people in the fields of youth programming, anti-violence advocacy and community... Read More →


Thursday April 25, 2019 9:30am - 10:20am CDT
Black Box Theater

10:30am CDT

LGBTQ Youth & Student Organizing
Limited Capacity seats available

Students will explore the types of common experiences LGBTQ youth face in schools. Students will learn some common language to understand sexuality and gender identities. This workshop will also explore and share effective organizing and safety-planning strategies for building fierce LGBTQ youth movements in your communities.

Speakers
avatar for Merrique Jenson

Merrique Jenson

Merrique Jenson (she/her) is a queer and trans, multiracial anti-violence advocate and artist of color. For the past 17 years, she has worked closely with street-based youth, communities of color, and LGBTQ people in the fields of youth programming, anti-violence advocacy and community... Read More →


Thursday April 25, 2019 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
Black Box Theater

12:00pm CDT

Author Panel: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jacqueline Woodson and Tanner Colby
Join National Book Award winners, Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me, 2015) and Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming, 2014), as they discuss race and diversity inclusion in America.  This discussion will be moderated by author Tanner Colby whose book Some of My Best Friends are Black takes an in depth look at the history of segregation in Kansas City.  Be prepared to ask questions surrounding the topic.

Moderators
avatar for Tanner Colby

Tanner Colby

After writing a biography of Chris Farley and a biography of John Belushi, Tanner Colby knew that if he didn't want to be known only as the guy who writes about dead fat comedians, his next project had better be very different. At the same time, he and his friends were watching the... Read More →

Speakers
avatar for Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates grew up in Baltimore and attended Howard University. He is the distinguished writer in residence at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and a winner of the National Book Award. Coates' book Between the World and Me began as a letter to his teenage son about... Read More →
avatar for Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson, the award winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming, is currently serving as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Her platform is, "Reading = Hope x Change - what's your equation? She once said, " I think young people should not be judged by the level... Read More →


Thursday April 25, 2019 12:00pm - 1:15pm CDT
Black Box Theater

1:30pm CDT

Educator Reflection
Limited Capacity full

Reflect on what you have seen and heard throughout the day and discuss how you want to move forward.

Speakers
avatar for Stephenie Smith, MSW

Stephenie Smith, MSW

As co-founder and managing partner, Stephenie is Sophic's lead authority on executive project management, organizational structure & design and operations improvement. She has led a number of efforts to align not-for-profit policy with community investments, with a special emphasis... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Rodney Smith

Dr. Rodney Smith

As co-founder and managing partner, Rodney is Sophic’s lead authority on issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion. His expertise is in African American student achievement, urban education and culturally responsive pedagogy.  Rodney is also a Group and Collaborative Learning... Read More →


Thursday April 25, 2019 1:30pm - 2:00pm CDT
Black Box Theater

2:10pm CDT

Closing
Come together one last time as we close out our day. 

Thursday April 25, 2019 2:10pm - 2:30pm CDT
Black Box Theater
 
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