Multi-Media Review: Exploring Racism From a Historical Perspective
This Fall, employees and student-athletes within LSU Athletics began to dig deeper into what began to feel more and more like the great racial divide. With guards down, individuals from the Athletics Department began to engage in real talk. They read books. They downloaded documentaries and podcasts. They listened to the difficult stories of co-workers who have been experiencing the world from a very different lens. This feature breaks down some of these shared educational opportunities through in their own words and opinions.
Healthy Tiger is encouraging you to share a review of any books, movies, podcasts or other forms of learning that you believe your work family would find valuable regardless of genre. Your review can be sent directly to our email: HealthyTiger@lsu.edu.
Interactive Programming Review: “A Long Talk About the Uncomfortable Truth”
Reviewed by: Earl J. Chevalier Jr.- Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
Attended: Fall 2020
A Long Talk About The Uncomfortable Truth (ALTATUT) was my favorite interactive program I was able to be a part of. I was pleased to learn information that I did not know explaining the depth of our countries true history. ALHTATUT gave practical and peaceful exercises to engage in, with people, for greater understanding for others with different life experiences. The presenters gave me/us a safe place to open up, be safe, vulnerable and talk. The multi-media approach was the only means we had given the times, but I think it was one of the reasons why people were able to truly open up! Although we could not be with one another, that pressure of physical or face-to-face was not there. You were at a place of your choosing which meant we were all in our own comfortable surroundings. We were together but secluded at the same time. That was big for me and I think allowed people to be real.
Documentary: “The Last Slave Ship”
Reviewed By: Andy Brandi- Men’s Tennis Head Coach
Produced By: National Geographic- Mike Olcott, Tiffany McNeil, & Asha Stuart
Released: May 2019
The Last Slave Ship is a documentary by National Geographic about the last group of African slaves to arrive in the US. In 1859 as a result of a bet, Timothy Meaher assured his friends that he could smuggle 100 slaves in the US. They were the last of the 389,000 brought in. In the 1808, it was declared to be illegal to bring slaves in into the US so it was very dangerous move by Meaher to bet that in 1859. After the Civil war, those slave established Africa-town where many of the descendants still live. The ship sunk to hide the smuggle was found in the mouth of Mobile Bay in 2018. Amazing story and great documentary.
Book Review- “White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism”
Reviewed by: Katie O’Brien- Golf & Swimming/Diving Director of Operations
Author: Robin DiAngelo
Published: June 26, 2018
This summer several women in the Athletics Department joined an outside book club to read Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism. The group was put together by Ashley Clayton and Viveca Johnson, and included about 20-30 women from inside and outside of the department. Each week we read one chapter of the book and zoomed together on Sunday evenings.
DiAngelo spent 20 years providing diversity training for businesses. She uses her wide-ranging knowledge to explain what white fragility is and to provide real-life examples of a white person being defensive when their whiteness is highlighted or mentioned by others and how that is often hurtful to people of color.
LSU Volleyball Assistant Coach Sarah Rumely Noble, who participated in the group, had this to say about White Fragility, “I thought White Fragility was super eye-opening. It was a tough read, but a necessary read. It has given me dialogue to have conversations with other people and be able to recognize how I fit into this narrative and being able to name certain things which has been really helpful.”
I found that the book spoke to me long after reading it. I have seen and heard examples of it in my personal life and have tried to jump in and help my family and friends see how their stories/words can be viewed by non-white people. I feel like the book gave me a lot more insight and a real education on how to improve my understanding of systematic racism in our country. It was also a great lesson in recognizing that most racism is not overt, but often in the nuance of life.