Representative Jay R. Kaufman’s OPEN HOUSE: “A Conversation on Race”

Thursday, May 19^th from 7 – 9 PM: Depot Square, Lexington, MA

 This month’s edition of “OPEN HOUSE with Representative Jay Kaufman” will be a special two-hour look at “A Conversation About Race” and will be held from 7 to 9 PM in the historic Depot (13 Depot Square) in Lexington Center on Thursday, May 19^th. The program is free and open to the public. Depot Square is wheelchair accessible.

Some thought and hoped that the election of the nation’s first African-American President signaled the end of our struggle with questions of race.   Events since Election Day in 2010 have, instead, confirmed that those questions are as current as their roots are deep.

Traces of the Trade – A Story From the Deep North, the powerful film of the DeWolf family’s discovery and exploration of its slave-trading ancestors, has provided the framework and compelling need for personal and communal looks at questions of race in our lives today.  Since its first airing  in January at the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. CommUNITY Commemoration Day in Lexington, the film has been shown many times to hundreds of viewers and there has been a series of community conversations and a lecture under the auspices of the CommUNITY Committee in partnership with the Lexington Clergy Association,  Lexington Historical Society and Representative Kaufman. The May 19 “OPEN HOUSE” will be the next opportunity for us to come together to pursue this difficult and important topic.

Questions to be considered on May 19^th: What is the historical context of our conversation on race?  What are the truths about our personal and collective past?  What are the consequences today of all this history?  What are the realities about race in America, in Massachusetts, in our community today?  What is next for us as a community?  What is next for each of us? You are invited to bring your questions and comments on this most challenging and provocative of issues to the discussion.

We invite you to share your experiences and listen to those of your neighbors.  We will be joined by James DeWolf Perry who will reflect on the path he and his family have traveled and, in turn, offer his reflections on what he hears from us.