Facing Racism

on the committee from the group R.A.C.E. (Reconciliation Achieved through Community Engagement) suggested that we create a Facing Project focused on issues of race and racism in Muncie and Delaware County. After talking with the founders of the Facing Project, Facing Racism was born. Ginny Nilles, MPL, and Yvonne Thompson, Executive Director of the Muncie Human Rights Commission provided the initial funding to enable the project to move forward. Mayor Dennis Tyler was an early contributor to the project. Ball State University’s Multicultural Center has joined the project as has Civic Theatre. Partners also include IPR and WIPB. Other partners are continually being sought. The Muncie Action Plan, a non-profit, 501c3 organization, has agreed to be the fiscal agent for the project. A Steering Committee has been formed and is currently directing the project. The Facing Project is an international storytelling project about issues important to individuals and their communities. Jamison-Pippin from Muncie started the Facing Project. The project brings together writers and storytellers, those with stories about a particular issue, and culminates in a book and a community event(s) to bring the stories to the public to enhance awareness, create dialogue and impact change. It provides tools, a platform and inspiration so communities can share the stories of citizens through the talent of local writers, artists, and actors. The Facing Project model guides communities as they enlist a team of writers to be paired one-on-one with citizens who are facing life circumstances that deserve to be shared to better educate the broader community. The pairs meet, get to know each other and share stories of triumph and tragedy, of loneliness and community, of hate and happiness, of deep depression and lofty goals. The writers will use their talents to take on the voice and persona of their subjects and write as if they were them—in the first person—bringing to life a voice that has been silenced, while keeping the anonymity of the subjects unless the subjects give permission to be known. All projects culminate with a book and/or e-book to be shared throughout the community (and beyond), and acted out by local actors through community theatre and monologues—bringing a face to the voice. Through these awareness outlets, communities can begin to sit down together to face the next steps of discovering new, grassroots solutions to the problem. Despite discourse in popular media, recent events have made it clear that we do not live in a “post-racial” society. Racial tensions and the consequences of institutional, state-sponsored racism are present, but not always on the brim of collective consciousness. With race-based protests happening throughout the country – showcased in a variety of ways in a variety of media – interest in understanding and addressing these issues has come to the surface in Muncie. Jason Donati and Yvonne Thompson spearheaded a discussion and action group, RACE (Reconciliation Achieved through Community Engagement) to begin the process of community education and discussion. R.A.C.E. has met monthly for over a year, in different locales throughout the community to encourage diversity in participation, starting several initiatives to bring awareness of these often subconscious problems. The Facing Racism Steering Committee proposes Facing Racism as a way to engage these issues and build on local and national momentum for engaging in meaningful dialogue and discussion of race in our community. There is a need to bridge racial divides that exist in our community, in our schools and other institutions. There is strong concern in the community among leaders and in the public towards bridging the racial divide and Facing Racism can meet that need. The Steering Committee for Facing Racism felt that stories emerging from members of our own community would be a powerful tool to create dialogue and impact change throughout the community. Facing Racism will explore the impact of racism and the meanings of race in people’s lives in Muncie and Delaware County. Engaging with personal stories and evocative theater performances as well as dialogue, we will explore both the negative impact racism has had in people’s lives and the positive responses to dealing with racism. Stories and programs will expose the harmful nature of structural or institutional racism, and reveal the ways in which our community can triumph over ignorance and act for positive social change. Facing Racism will educate, inform, and encourage ongoing dialogue to mobilize community action. The project has recruited nearly 45 writers and 45 storytellers and the number of storytellers is growing weekly and the stories are being written currently. The stories are from a broad range of individuals throughout the community. The project will culminate in the publication of a book of stories, an e-book for broader distribution as well as a presentation and a performance and at the Muncie Civic Theatre on Saturday, November 12, 2016 followed by ongoing presentations and performances throughout Muncie and Delaware County at churches, community organizations, schools and other venues where we hope to spur further dialogue. These stories put a very human face on the issues of race and racism and help “neighbors” understand each other’s experiences.