The public is invited to a community program discussing differences in socio-economic class in Chapel Hill to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in the Council Chamber of Chapel Hill Town Hall. Refreshments will be provided.
Organized by the Town of Chapel Hill’s Justice in Action Committee, the event is the second in a series of outreach events designed to engage the community in frank conversations about racial, economic, and social justice issues in Chapel Hill.
Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt and Justice in Action Committee Chair André Wesson will make welcoming remarks. Ben Saypol, program director of the UNC Interactive Theatre Scene, will lead a scripted and improvisational theater program to help facilitate the discussion.
Interactive Theatre Carolina uses scripted and improvisational theatre to promote health/wellness and social justice in the Chapel Hill community. This program depicts an example of the conflicts raised by differences in socio-economic class and engages the audience to participate in the drama on stage. In so doing, the audience is encouraged to explore and consider their own attitudes and behaviors.
The Justice in Action Committee was created in 2005 following the Council's approval of the renaming of Airport Road to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. In 2007, the committee adopted a new name, purpose and mission: “To adequately and effectively reflect the Town of Chapel Hill’s integrity and commitment to preserving racial, economic, and social justice within the community.”
Its stated goals are to recognize how we take for granted our biases and how these affect behavior; to challenge comfort zones by calling attention to how class reinforces the invisibility of others; to explore our own perspectives, attitudes and behaviors by opening ourselves up to recognize the perspectives of others; and to identify how our differences unite and bind us together.
Future programs being planned by the Justice in Action Committee include an event during Human Rights week in December 2008 and a Martin Luther King Day Celebration in spring 2009.
“The success of this program and the committee’s work will depend on the level of community involvement,” said Justice in Action Committee Chair André Wessen. “Our last event on race demonstrated the need to continue the dialogue on these important community issues.”
To learn more about this event and/or the Justice in Action Committee, contact André Wessen (919) 843-8917 or Jan Boxill (919) 962-3317. New members are welcomed, and applications are available on the Town of Chapel Hill website at www.townofchapelhill.org/boards.
