Listen to learn; learn and understand.
Ahead of the pilot town hall style event, Adrienne King hopes those who attend will become willing to be uncomfortable and to share their perceptions around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Critical Race Theory.
“We want people to come in with their own thoughts and ideas about what diversity, equity and inclusion is, and what critical race theory is – and we’re really hoping to educate people,” said King, who is president of the NAACP’s Bucks County chapter.
She said the intent of the event is to get people sharing, talking and willing to understand one another’s point of view, as well as embrace historic and current facts.
NAACP Bucks is partnering with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Omega Zeta Omega Chapter to host the public event at 6:30 pm., February 18 inside Doylestown Borough Hall, 10 Doyle Street in Doylestown.
The discussion will be emceed by the Honorable Judge Clyde W. Waite, the first and currently only African-American judge on the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.
“The intent is to get the audience talking and encourage facts, data and information back up,” not ungrounded opinions, King explained.
She said Judge Waite will provide ground rules for the event along with historical facts for each topic while providing space for those in the audience to drive the program’s conversations.
“My vision is for this to become a series. We’re a big county, and everyone can’t come to Doylestown. I would like this to be a multi-part series,” King said of possible future events.
Should the Doylestown pilot be successful, King said different formats could be used, such as panel discussion sessions with speakers from various sectors and industries.
“We could have people [offering] from community to corporate; and from education and school perspectives,” she said.
While the Doylestown pilot intends to “lay the groundwork” for any forums that follow, foundational questions include: “How did we get here? What are these elements and how do we define them,” according to King.
“Judge Waite hopes we get a variety of perceptions and go into those uncomfortable conversations and be willing to ‘move your stake’” after listening to what others have to say, King said.
According to King, the acronyms themselves for diversity equity and inclusion [DEI] and critical race theory [CRT] have become political – and polarizing – rather than a neutral point of reference for terms with profound meaning and impact.
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“We need to be willing to go in and speak up because hopefully it will help others to think differently. When you ask someone about diversity, or equity or inclusion they don’t think those are bad things,” King said.
The Town Hall Discussion held February 18 at Doylestown Borough Hall is free and open to the public. Those who attend are encouraged to bring questions, ideas and concerns and to engage in meaningful and respectful dialog.
The NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Founded in 1909, its mission is to secure political, educational, social and economic equality rights to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all people, an NAACP press release said.
Based in Bensalem, NAACP Bucks County Chapter was chartered in 1951 and pursues the same mission as the national organization, the press release said.
