
How do you plant the seeds that ideas can grow from? Los Angeles County Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell thinks combining good people with good books is a great way start.
The Village Well Bookstore at 9900 Culver Blvd. was filled on Monday, July 29, 2024 with dozens and dozens of people there to participate in the Supervisor Mitchell’s Racial Justice Learning Exchange, a project Mitchell created to cultivate community engagement, and of course, discuss some interesting titles.
Joined on stage by Dr. Jasmine Hill, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at UCLA, Mitchell began the discussion by screening a TED talk from the the author of “The Sum of Us,” Dr. Heather McGhee, which touched on many of the themes and evidence from the text.
“The Sum of Us,” offers the theory that racism hurts everyone, and presents a tremendous amount of data to support that idea. When laws requiring that public facilities be integrated first came down in the 1950’s, a toxic backlash of racism chose to close many public parks, schools, swimming pools and other facilities rather than allow everyone to use them. McGhee also offers a number of stories from her own life, putting a very personal touch into her air-tight presentation of evidence supporting her theory.
After the video and the discussion between Dr. Hill and Supervisor Mitchell, the crowd broke out into discussion groups on related topics, with the idea that a grassroots conversation could generate ideas worth adding to policies.
The hugely successful event is one of a series that Mitchell is offering. Upcoming topics will include environmental justice, arts and culture, and restorative justice.
Judith Martin-Straw