The sixth annual “White Privilege Conference” is going on at Central College in Pella. Organizer Eddie Moore, Jr. is Director of Intercultural Life at the College, and he says the name raises a lot of eyebrows and might even be misconstrued as a gathering of people who favor racism, instead of aiming to abolish it. He says it’s an educational conference and it’s about dealing with “some ugly historical things in our country” and making sure those things aren’t still going on today. Professionals have come from all over to the annual conference, and Moore says there are also a lot of students. One of the biggest things gonig on is the “High School Institute,” and around a hundred kids from schools in several states are learning about white privilege. There’s also entertainment, theatrical tributes to notable people including Fannie Lou Hamer and Rosa Parks. There are comedy and musical performances as well as workshops on things like teacher education. It’s not all lecture-style learning, as Moore says everyone was invited to a dinner last night that was partly a Passover event. “Sometimes the best way to learn is breaking bread with your neighbor,” Moore says. He says the Shabbat dinner was a good way for people to learn about Jewish history and celebrations while they enjoy some fun and music. The conference continues through today (Saturday), and Moore says he thinks it will be an annual event — on the 25th conference he says he’ll assess and see if they should keep on going. Read more by surfing to http://www.whiteprivilegeconference.com.
