#amimoore
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emily Kiefer, (502) 569-5811,
ekiefer@wjkbooks.com
Racism study sheds light on Cambridge police controversy, Sotomayor nomination.
Louisville, Kentucky--A new study pack from The Thoughtful Christian.com may offer some understanding on the current racial debate surrounding the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, as well as the recent controversy over Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court judge nomination. While many of us may believe we conquered the racism problem long ago, these events are discomforting reminders that the battle is far from over. Indeed, we need not only look to politics: earlier this month a private suburban swim club in Philadelphia sparked allegations of racism when they asked a group of day campers, comprised of mostly African American and Latino children, to leave. "Despite the celebrated gains that the United States is making in opportunities for ‘persons of color,' the patterns of discrimination that affect the daily lives of those who are not white are still in place," writes Nancy J. Ramsey in her study "Why Is It So Difficult to Talk about Racism?" that is included in the pack.
Another study in the pack, "A History of Racism in the United States," suggests the attacks against Sotomayor may arise from the fear her appointment will jeopardize the current status quo in America. Such a fear is the product of "racial multiculturalism," explain writers Laura Mariko Cheifetz and Jessica Vazquez Torres, a phenomenon which seeks to perpetuate the status quo while appearing racism-free by placing persons of color in white systems. In Sotomayor's case, according to Cheifetz and Torres, "the defenders of the system do not see her as someone who will allow the U.S. judicial system to remain much as it is."
The debates over Gates and Sotomayor both prompt larger questions about the existence and implication of white privilege in America. What advantages do white Americans have, whether they choose to acknowledge it or not, that do not exist for other ethnicities? "White people, in the natural course of their lives and work, create the dominant image and interpretation of the world, set the standards and establish the rules--and we do so in our own image, usually without realizing that we have created a system in which we will easily succeed but where others, with different images and interpretations, will easily fail," writes David Esterline in his study, "White Privilege." Cheifetz and Torres also note that Justice John Roberts was questioned about his beliefs and job history, not his race or gender, and the current focus on Sotomayor's "demographics as a determining factor of her competence and her qualifications, is quite different."
Cheifetz and Torres consider the Sotomayor controversy in light of the history of racism from the time of Columbus. "Imbedded into our DNA were deeply held beliefs about the superiority of northern Europeans," they write about the very first Americans. Cheifetz and Torres go on to elaborate on the ways in which that belief has manifested itself for the next several centuries, from the transportation of Native American tribes, the enslavement of African Americans, Japanese internment camps, Anti-Arab racism after 9/11, and violence against Latinos.
The Racism Study Pack, which is composed of seven individual studies which total eleven weeks of sessions, will be available on August 12 from The Thoughtful Christian.com, an online ecumenical resource center for adult study groups and individuals. The seven studies are as follows:
* Why Is It So Difficult to Talk about Racism? Nancy J. Ramsay with Leader's Guide by Michelle Hwang
* Racism 101, DeBorah Gilbert White with Leader's Guide by Michelle Hwang
* The Bible and Racism Frank Yamada with Leader's Guide by Martha Bettis-Gee
* A History of Racism in the United States, Laura Mariko Cheifetz and Jessica Vazquez Torres with Leader's Guide by Martha Bettis-Gee
* White Privilege, David Esterline with Leader's Guide by Michelle Hwang
* Is Affirmative Action Still Needed? Rev. Teresa Chávez Sauceda, PhD. with Leader's Guide by Michelle Hwang
* Do Segregated Churches Imply Racism? Debra J. Mumford with Leader's Guide by Michelle Hwang
Non-subscribers may purchase the individual sessions for $5, two-session studies for $10, four-session studies for $18, or the entire study pack for $53. Those who purchase the study pack will also have access to a free add-on: the first chapter of Martin Luther King Jr. for Armchair Theologians by Rufus Burrow Jr.
Media wishing to receive a review copy of the Racism Study Pack or speak with the writers may contact
Emily Kiefer at (502) 569-5811 or ekiefer@wjkbooks.com.
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The Thoughtful Christian is one of three imprints of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, the official denominational publisher of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). PPC's other imprints are Westminster John Knox Press and Geneva Press. PPC publishes approximately 85 books each year and maintains a backlist of approximately 1,500 titles that are sold throughout the world.
