Here's is the second and concluding part of my interview with Barbara Trepagnier on her book Silent Racism.  Dallas South:  How do White Americans like the ones you studied feel about the concept of institutional racism? Barbara Trepagnier: Most white people do not understand how racism works, which means they don’t understand institutional racism. The predominant white definition of racism is that it is deliberate and hateful. But institutional racism is often neither deliberate nor hateful. People in all sectors of society make decisions based on the information they carry in their heads. For most white people, that information is distorted by stereotypical images and paternalistic assumptions. It is not surprising that many white decisions have negative consequences for blacks and other people of color.   DS: There are a number of "liberal" or "progressive" white blogs that will not tolerate any accusation that their views regarding Barack Obama and the Presidential campaign are shaped by race.  Why is it so hard for liberal/progressives to imagine that their ideas and beliefs can still be affected by race?  BT: I haven’t seen the blogs you are talking about, but I will say this: being accused (your word!) of racism ...

I ride around listening to NPR on KERA throughout the day, but it's rare that I catch Think hosted by Krys Boyd.  Last week I happened to land on 90.1 and heard the beginning of a conversation Ms. Boyd's was having with Barbara Trepagnier. Their discussion centered on Ms. Trepagnier's book Silent Racism: How Well-Meaning White People Perpetuate the Racial Divide. The interview was both provocative and informative.  I thought the readers of Dallas South would enjoy Barbara's thoughts about racism and how even the most "well meaning" folks can fall victim.  She teaches sociology at Texas State University-San Marcos. Download Barbara's interview on Think here . Find out more about the book Silent Racism here . Dallas South:  Why did you write Silent Racism? Barbara Trepagnier: Shawn, thank you for inviting me to do this interview. I was in graduate school when I realized (because an acquaintance told me) that I had said something that was perceived as racist. At first, I was mortified, and then I realized that even though I hadn’t intended to, what I said was racist. I decided that for my dissertation I would study people like me: people who care about racism but ...

I'll be testing some new themes and different looks for Dallas South over the next week or so.  Hang with me and feel free to let me know what you think. Shawn

Erykah Badu - Honey Ms. Badu's latest work has officially grown on me. Check out "Honey" by Dallas' own Erykah Badu. Thanks to Carol H. for the heads up.

This February, Paul Quinn College will launch a Continuing Education program in an effort to expand its offerings and increase community involvement. Youth programs will focus on academic enhancement, fun and leisure, while adult classes offer personal, cultural and professional enrichment. Topics for the non-credit courses range from Computer Literacy and Grant Writing to an Entrepreneur Leadership Institute and a review of the Old Testament.  Classes are open to new and returning students, as well as the community at large. Sessions are to be held once a week in the evenings, late afternoons or on weekends throughout the month of February.   Paul Quinn College is located at 3837 Simpson Road in Dallas.  For more information or a class schedule, please call Dr. Simmons at 214.302.3507 or Raymond Weeks at 214.302.3622 or check out the web site at www.pqc.edu  About Paul Quinn College Paul Quinn College is a four-year private, liberal arts institution.  Founded in Austin, Texas in 1872, by a small group of African Methodist Episcopal Church ministers; the College became the oldest historically black college west of the Mississippi River. Paul Quinn is fully accredited by The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is one of ...

Our sister in blog Gina McCauley of What About Our Daughters has landed an exclusive interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson.  The interview comes on the heels of Barack Obama's decisive victory in the South Carolina Primary.  Let me say that I am extremely proud of Gina and the work that she is doing.  It's great to seen a publication like Essence recognizing the talents of such a dedicated individual.  Here is just a portion of Gina's interview with Rev. Jackson: Essence.com: We’ve gotten used to the whole red state vs. blue state narrative. When you hear that 87,000 more Democrats voted in the Democratic primary than Republicans voted in the Republican primary, do you think we could see a change in the whole concept of what “swing state” means? J.J.: In ’84 we put on two million new voters. In ’86 we regained the Senate because of the new southern vote. We regained the Senate in North Carolina, in Georgia, in Louisiana, in Florida and in California in ’86. A surge in Black voters in the South is the key to the Senate and the White House. Essence.com: They were inspired by it? Okay, that’s what I was ...

On Monday, author/scholar Henry Louis Gates launched a new  website called The Root.  The site will be an online magazine, featuring thought-provoking commentary from a variety of black perspectives---including a blogroll that links to African-American themed sites. Harvard Professor Henry "Skip" Gates is editor-in-chief of the site. Former New York Times reporter Lynette Clemetson and Terence Samuel of AOL Black Voices also lead the editorial team. You can expect to read articles from contributors including Malcolm Gladwell, Thelma Golden, William Julius Wilson, John McWhorter and Charlayne Hunter Gault. In addition to news and views, the site will have a section on genealogy, allowing the black community to trace its ancestry and create family trees.  This feature differentiates The Root from most other black webmags that already exist. To find out more, visit www.theroot.com   

Last week Kirby Warnock continued to make the case for improved services in Southern Dallas via a thoughtful Dallas Morning News.  Here are some highlights from Mr. Warnock's column: What has become painfully obvious to me is that there are two Dallases, and I'm not talking about the racial divide. I'm speaking of basic city services: roads, parks and code enforcement. The city cannot do anything about the demographic makeup of my neighborhood, but it can do something about the roads and parks. First, our roads. They are in worse shape than our northern neighbors'. Oak Cliff has more streets that require resurfacing, more that lack curbs and sidewalks, and more without street lights than north Dallas. These statistics come from the city of Dallas' Web site, under "unfunded needs." Why can't the city pave and repair our roads with as much vigor as it does the northern half? Second, our parks. A visit to Kidd Springs Rec Center in Oak Cliff should be contrasted with a visit to the Churchill Rec Center in North Dallas. Don't our children deserve a decent, well-maintained rec center, too? A quick check of the Dallas ...

CNN and MSNBC report Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg will endorse Barack Obama for the Democratic Presidential nomination.  The endorsement will appear via a New York Times Opinion piece on Sunday. I finally found the Kennedy/Schlossberg endorsement.  Here are some of the highlights: OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama. Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible. Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, ...