Starting Monday, Feb. 22, the Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare County Voices, a community group, will hold a series of virtual community forums on systemic racism in Tulare County.
The first forum will focus on how systemic racism affects people of color sociologically, psychologically, and spiritually in Tulare County.
The forum, which will include questions from the audience, will be streamed starting at 7 p.m. at www.VisaliaTimesDelta.com and the Times-Delta‘s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/vtdnews
Panelists include: Dr. Patricia D. López, Fresno State, who specializes in social and cultural foundations and the creator of a virtual anti-racism webinar series Dr. Ramar Henderson, Fresno State, whose research expertise includes multicultural and cross-cultural factors that affect racial identity and has presented at multiple national and regional conferences Professor Randy Villegas, College of the Sequoias and UC Santa Cruz, currently a doctoral candidate, whose research interests include Latino politics, Immigration, voting behavior, and education Margo Denison, Visalia-based marriage and family therapist.
Topics of discussion on Monday, Feb. 22 will include defining systemic racism, how systemic racism affects the psychological well-being of people of color and how society can combat systemic racism. Future forums on systemic racism in healthcare, education, housing (which will include water and air quality), and the workplace (general economic issues) in future months.
Schedule of upcoming forums:
- March 29: Systemic racism in healthcare
- April 26: Systemic racism in education
- May 24: Systemic racism in the workplace
- June 28: Systemic racism in housing
To send questions, get information about joining Tulare County Voices or be a panelist on an upcoming forum, email tcvoices2020@gmail.com.