Gender issues topic of public talk

Contact: Deanne Puca

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University's Real Talk Diversity Series will open with a discussion on gender and issues of privilege from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Multicultural Center of the Trimpe Building. Refreshments will be provided.

"Unraveling the Gender Knot" is the topic of a presentation which is based on Dr. Allan Johnson's books, "The Gender Knot" and "Privilege, Power, and Difference." One of the greatest barriers to ending sexism, racism, and other forms of privilege is that some people are trapped in ways of thinking that are not grounded in reality, leading the wrong questions to be asked and turning conversations about privilege into occasions for members of dominant groups to feel guilty and defensive. As a result, the conversations that need to happen turn bad, or more often, not at all.

To learn more about Johnson's work, visit his website at agjohnson.com.

For more information, contact Tiffany White at tiffany.white@wmich.edu or (269) 387-6327.