This community conversation, “Tell Me the Truth: Exploring the Heart of Cross-racial Conversations”, will be hosted by the Glastonbury Martin Luther King Community Initiative (GMLKCI).

Date: 2/9/2020

3:00 free reception, 3:30 – 5: 30pm conversation

Riverfront Community Center (300 Welles Street | Glastonbury, CT 06033)

As Americans struggle to discuss the deep-seated racism that permeates our nation, our presenters, Shay Stewart-Bouley and Debby Irving, are examples of courage, civility, and understanding. Their conversations model the ones that all Americans should have: where we confront our racial demons together and work in partnership toward a united community.

Shay Steward-Bouley is a graduate of both DePaul University and Antioch University New England. Ms. Steward-Bouley is the Executive Director of Community Change Inc., a civil rights organization in Boston. Her award-winning writings in the press, and her blog, deal with diversity, race, class and gender.

Debby Irving is a racial justice educator, author, and public speaker. As a community and performing arts organizer and classroom teacher, Ms. Irving struggled to make sense of racial tensions she could feel but could not explain. In 2009, a graduate school course, Racial and Cultural Identities, gave her the answers she’d been looking for and launched her on a journey of discovery. Now, speaking and leading workshops around the country, Ms. Irving devotes herself to exploring the impact white skin can have on perception, problem solving, and creating inclusive communities. Ms. Irving is a graduate of Kenyon College (BA) and Simmons College (MBA). Her first book, Waking Up White, tells the story of how she went from “well-meaning” to “well-doing.”

This on stage, intimate conversation, between two friends, one a black woman, the other a white woman, is unscripted and often produces unexpected teachable moments for all participants. As Ms. Steward-Bouley and Ms. Irving explore the complexities of cross-racial conversation, especially in today’s turbulent social climate, they also model what it looks like to be authentic and bold across social differences.