While Social Justice is not specifically named as one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus, it underlies all our organization’s goals and aspirations. This past Monday we were fortunate to hear from Dr. Joseph Robinson, President, Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Development Institute (MLK-LDI). (If you missed the meeting, the link to the recording can be found below) Joe spoke positively about the progress that we have made as a nation towards building a more equitable nation that strives toward justice for all. At the end of his presentation, Joe encouraged Rotarians with a call to action. He offered these actions to help our goal of social justice:
Become a champion with your voices as well as your benevolence.
Be intentional in determining how Rotary can lend its voice from the outside in support of racial equality.
Engage black people in conversation with ears open, listening more than you speak (Covey’s Habit #5)
Invest time reading works by subject matter experts (and Joe supplied some suggested titles:
The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander
Slavery by Another Name - Douglas Blackmon
Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
How to be an Antiracist -Ibram X. Kendi
White Fragility - Robin DiAngelo
Stamped from the Beginning - Ibram X. Kendi
Race Matters - Cornell West
I hope that you have not already had the opportunity to explore this topic, you will take the time to read one or more of these books. If there is interest, perhaps we can join together and discuss it in a book group. Let me know if you would like to participate in such a group.
In Rotary,
Pam Whitenack
President, 2020-2021