Dear Faculty and Staff,
University of Puget Sound has partnered with the Tacoma Public Library (TPL) to support the Tacoma Reads program. This annual program aims to engage the community in dialogue around a common text. This year the text selected for the adult age group is the outstanding book Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson. This powerfully written, well researched book invites readers to review how America was developed through a hidden caste system and the impact this system has today. There are a number of events throughout the fall sponsored by the TPL that can be found by visiting this web link, including a book arts workshop sponsored by Collins Library and a performing arts event arranged by the School of Music, dates to be announced soon.
The Office of the President, the Provost’s Office, and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity would like to offer several opportunities for members of the University of Puget Sound to engage in dialogue on the themes presented in this book. These opportunities include:
- Facilitated dialogue book groups
- A faculty panel discussion
- A lecture/performance on Race and the caste system in music and dance by Dr. Ameera Nimjee
- A resource guide prepared by librarians Katy Curtis and Angela Weaver
We are finalizing the details on the faculty panel and the lecture/performance, and that information will be announced in the near future.
We invite faculty and staff to consider joining a book group. Individuals wanting to join a book group can simply sign up for a reading group by clicking on the library resource guide and select the tab Join a Group. The facilitator of the group will contact you with detailed information about the meeting location and plans for the group. We have several facilitators ready to lead the groups. Select, on the form, the days and time that work best for you. The commitment is that each group will meet 2–3 times to engage in dialogue using Caste as the common text. Those who join a group can gain access to the book through the Tacoma Library and information is provided on the library guide linked above, or you can request a copy (yours to keep) when you complete the registration form. The Library will distribute the books to participants.
This is an opportunity for us to read this important work as a community, and to have conversations about the impact of the content and reflect on how we can work together to address the concerns expressed by the author.
I look forward to this opportunity to engage with all of you as we start fall semester and to the presentation by the author on Nov. 13, hosted by Tacoma Mayor Woodards.
Sincerely,
Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, Ph.D. (She, Her, Hers)
Vice President of Institutional Equity and Diversity