David Mura
If I am a broken record on any subject it's probably on the impact of story and how the stories we tell to ourselves and others shape our understanding of the world. In his powerful book, author David Mura, writes about some of the stories that underlie the American experience.
With examples from literature and film David explores and important perspective in our fight for racial justice. If we don't know how the biases we hold are the storyline of our society it's gonna be impossible to rewrite those stories.
Reading David's book, and then speaking with him, was a fascinating exploration of some of our deepest stories as a society and how we are being held back because we don't even know that they are the scripts running the action.
This conversation gave me a whole other level of insight into the struggle for racial equity and has inspired me to question more deeply some of the things I just assume to be so.
I loved this book and this conversation and I think you will also.
About David:
David Mura has written numerous books. His most recent book is the acclaimed The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives. A third generation Japanese American, Mura has written two memoirs, Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei, which was listed in the New York Times notable books of the year, and, Where the Body Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality, and Identity. In addition to teaching at various universities, Mura has served as director of training for the innocent classroom, a program designed by writer and educator Alexs Pate, to train K - 12 teachers to improve their relationships with students of color.
For a written transcript of this conversation click here.
Connect with David:
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Action Items:
1) None of us knows enough. We all have pockets of ignorance, and we have to keep learning. So it is simply just books, lectures, activities, arts activities, to learn about people, both within your community and outside your community.
2) if your social life or your work life is racially or ethnically homogenous, you need to start diversifying and making conscious moves to diversify. And if you're a white person and you have no Black friends or friends of color, then you have to ask, why is that? How can you change your life so diversity becomes a part of it?
3) Once you understand the way racism works, you have to begin to work against it, and actively work and often time times you'll know you're working against it when people get angry.
Credits:
Harmonica music courtesy of a friend.
BIG NEWS!!!
My book, Micro Activism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World (Without a Bullhorn) is now available for pre-order from your favorite bookseller.
