What started off as just a class assignment turned into an opportunity for constructive dialogue. EMU Master’s of Counseling students hosted a virtual event, Somethin’ To Talk About: Race, The Power of Illusion, on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 7-8 pm.

“Our main goal was just to open up a discussion about race and show/talk about the impact it has had on our society, back then and today,” said graduate student Jessica Lane. 

Graduate student Anna Cooke started off the event with an awareness activity. After Cooke presented a statement, participants held up one finger to indicate that the statement was true for them or kept the finger down if it was false. 

The statements highlighted the harsh realities faced by marginalized groups in the US. For example, one statement read, “I never think twice about calling the police if I am in trouble.” As a white woman, I experienced feelings of guilt and undeserved privilege when I was left staring at all ten of my fingers standing upright in front of my face. 

The bulk of the event involved showing an episode of the PBS documentary, The Power of Illusion, titled “The House We Live In.” Graduate student Jessica Lane said, “The primary focus of this episode is not on individual behaviors and attitudes, but on how our institutions shape and create race, giving different groups vastly unequal life chances.”

After the 45-minute film-showing, graduate student John Sgroi facilitated a talk-back discussion. “The number one way people transfer wealth is through home equity,” said Sgroi. Participants discussed the influence of demographic information on lending guidelines, as well as how policies discriminate against minority groups.

Participants discussed color blindness, the idea that differences of race should not be considered or “seen.” However, racial color blindness disregards the unique experiences of various racial groups and shuts down any chance of having formative conversations for change.

Graduate students Anna Cooke, Jessica Lane, and John Sgroi were the facilitators. The idea for the series stemmed from a community advocacy project assigned by Assistant Professor and Counseling Center Clinical Supervisor Jennifer L. Cline in a graduate multicultural counseling course. About 30 participants attended the Zoom meeting.

The event was the first in a three-part series. The next portion of the series will take place on March 4 from 7-9 pm.