LANSING, Mich. – Lansing Community College is set to launch a series of Courageous Conversations: A Bridge to Undoing Racism led by LCC chief diversity officer Dr. Tonya Bailey.

The first two-hour virtual session will be held 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30. This engaging session is designed to understand the foundation of race and racism and the barriers they create. Her guest will be LCC President Dr. Steve Robinson.

On the heels of an historic resolution adopted unanimously last June by the LCC Board of Trustees to address racial injustice through equity and inclusion, the college is moving forward with hard, but necessary courageous conversations.

Using a dialogue style format, participants will interact in conversations, conduct self-reflections, active listening, and group learning to discuss often difficult topics while making deliberate strides toward being a "brave space" to discuss race, equity, and inclusion.

Given the unprecedented moment we face as a country this year’s launch of a campus-wide courageous conversations series on race brings diverse members of our community together for honest dialogue about race,” said Dr. Tonya Bailey.

Attendees can look forward to participating in a dynamic community conversation in a safe and welcoming environment. Each session will engage participants to analyze the structures of power and privilege that hinder social and educational equity.

These courageous conversations will explore various topics related in both a historical and cultural context. Issues of race are sometimes blatant and obvious, sometimes subtle and nuanced, and often difficult to confront. All sessions will feature small group breakout sessions led by RISE Institute Fellows (faculty and staff) who will serve as conversation facilitators for this series.

We can all play an important role in dismantling racism to create a more inclusive, just and safe community college,” said Bailey. “By committing to understanding and talking about race all of our lives will be better and LCC will be the beneficiary of our progress.”

Bailey was named to the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this year.

Visit https://www.lcc.edu/diversity/courageous-conversations.html for virtual meeting information.