Read. Think. Act.

Catherine Read

  • Home
  • About
  • Creative Read
  • Blog
  • TV Shows
  • Books
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Making Change Radio
  • Archives

Archives for July 2016

by Catherine Read

Waking Up White: And Finding Myself In The Story of Race

Waking Up WhiteThis book is life altering. Debby Irving’s journey to discover how white people fit into the discussion of race and racism has never been more important than it is today. It’s the sort of book I want everyone to read so we can all talk about it.

The author is the same age that I am. She grew up in a white suburb of Boston in the 60s and 70s with a homemaker mother and Harvard educated attorney father. Her life experiences are so very similar to mine, including the jarring realization that racism comes from centuries of institutional bias, cultural bias and a ruling class of white people that do not see their role in all of this.

I highly recommend the book. It’s is not preachy or academic. It’s one woman’s story of trying to understand her life in the context of race relations. More white people need to be motivated to do that. If we had a better understanding of how we got here, we would have a much better idea of the path forward. The situation isn’t going to change until we commit to change the one thing over which we have control – ourselves. The world changes when we shift our paradigm to see it from a different perspective.

Filed Under: Blogging, Good Books, Political Tagged With: education, race, racism, Redlining, Sociology

by Catherine Read

Just Mercy – A Story of Justice and Redemption

Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson (July 2016) This book was just a great followup to Isabelle Wilkerson’s “The Warmth of Other Suns.” Bryan Stevenson brings home the reality of a racially driven criminal justice system that is out of control. The headlines around mass incarceration, the executions as well as the exonerations of prisoners on death row, the investigative journalism around the blatant miscarriage of justice – it all comes together in this book. Told in the first person, it is moving beyond anything I have the ability to describe.

As I read the book I was horrified, outraged, disbelieving, sad and discouraged. How could this happen? Our narrative of America as “the greatest nation on earth” does not hold up under this examination of a justice system blatantly racist and operated with impunity by people who do not believe they will be held accountable. Because they are not held accountable.

The recent explosion of cell phone videos showing police shooting unarmed black people is the tip of the iceberg. This has gone on for generations. The excessive use of force, the disregard for black lives, a criminal justice system where accountability is simply absent – that is the true narrative of this country.

I was floored by the details of the cases Bryan Stevenson worked on. Buoyed by the cases where he managed to finally get justice for people wrongly accused and incarcerated, and devastated by case after case of people he could not save. Innocent people are being executed by the state, which makes it murder. There is no justification for “mistakenly” taking the life of those wrongly convicted and sentenced to death. What is the penalty to the judge, jury and executioner for the wrongful death of an innocent person? Read More

Filed Under: Blogging, Good Books, Political Tagged With: Capitol Punishment, Death Row, Injustice, Justice, Mass Incarceration, racism, Wrongful Conviction

by Catherine Read

Community Lodgings of Alexandria, VA

(July 11, 2016) Catherine Read talks with the Executive Director of Community Lodgings, Lynn Thomas. This organization was established in 1987 in the City of Alexandria to provide transitional housing. Today, Community Lodgings’ mission is to lift families from homelessness and instability to independence and self-sufficiency through Transitional Housing, Affordable Housing and Youth Education Programs.

Community Lodgings offers youth education programs that include an after school/summer program in three locations. Cindy Lopez, a Family Support Worker, joins the program in the second segment to talk about how she came through the youth education program herself at the age of 9, joined AmeriCorps and returned to the organization as a staffer. In segment three, Rudy Mendoza, a 7th grader at GW Middle School, talks about the after school program and what he likes best about the program.

There are donor and volunteer opportunities at Community Lodgings and more information can be found at http://www.communitylodgings.org

Filed Under: Blogging, Inside Scoop, TV Shows, Virginia, Women Tagged With: Affordable Housing, Alexandria, Catherine Read, Community, Community Lodgings, Youth Programs

Catherine S. Read
I believe in the power of community and the ability of one person to make a difference.

Read more…

Get the Latest

I will not spam you. Read my privacy policy.

Recent Posts

The Nazi’s Granddaughter – Silvia Foti

A Question of Freedom – Wm G Thomas III

Violins of Hope – Richmond Exhibit 2021

The Three Mothers – Anna Malaika Tubbs

Railroaded – Dale Brumfield

His Other Life – Melanie McCabe

The Art of Gathering – Priya Parker

Faithful Servant Awards on Your Need to Know

Search

Archives

Archives

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Read. Think. Act.

Copyright © 2022 Catherine S. Read · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy