Several racial incidents that occurred on campus in the fall of 2003 spurred conversations among faculty members about race relations at the university. These conversations continued throughout 2004 and focused on thinking of creative ways to talk about issues of diversity within the community. “The major question that came up was ‘What is Emory’s record in terms of race?’” says Dr. Leslie Harris, co-director of the TCP and an associate history professor.
One component of the TCP is the “Community Dialogues.” More than 1,000 community members participate in these small group conversations where participants have frank discussions about their racial experiences on campus and away from the university.
“As a historian of slavery, I am interested in slavery, but there are also more contemporary issues that need to be addressed,” Harris says. “This is why the TCP’s research doesn’t stop at the Emancipation Proclamation, but extends further to include the Civil Rights Era and other minorities’ experiences with the university. Slavery laid the foundation, it was only one piece in a long history of racial oppression in this country.”
--Sarah Lake
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