‘Race: The Power of an Illusion’ screens Feb. 8

MARYSVILLE — The city of Marysville, through the Mayor’s Diversity Advisory Committee, is hosting a community viewing of “Race: The Power of an Illusion” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Marysville United Methodist Church, located at 5600 64th St. NE.

January 31, 2014 2:06 pm

MARYSVILLE — The city of Marysville, through the Mayor’s Diversity Advisory Committee, is hosting a community viewing of “Race: The Power of an Illusion” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Marysville United Methodist Church, located at 5600 64th St. NE.

Community members are invited to view this eye-opening and powerful three-part series PBS documentary. Each episode will be introduced by facilitators with the Communities of Color Coalition. Each of the three one-hour episodes will be followed by a small panel and facilitated conversation about the film and its relevance today.

“Race: The Power of an Illusion” examines the biological myth of race, and its social and political construction. The theme is built around the idea that, until people understand the myths of race, and see its lasting impact on society and in today’s community, we cannot have important conversations that allow us to move forward.

Attendance is free, and lunch will be provided. Pre-registration is required. Check in at 8:30 a.m.

For more information about this event and the Diversity Advisory Committee, and to pre-register, contact Buell by phone at 360-363-8086 or via email at dbuell@marysvillewa.gov.

The three episodes in the series are as follows:

1. “The Difference Between Us” examines the contemporary science that challenges assumptions that human beings can be bundled into three or four fundamentally different groups according to their physical traits.

2. “The Story We Tell” uncovers the roots of the race concept in North America, the 19th century science that popularized it, and how it came to be held so fiercely in the western imagination. This episode is an eye-opening tale of how race served to rationalize, and even justify, American social inequalities as “natural.”

3. “The House We Live In” asks, if race is not biology, what is it? This episode uncovers how race resides not in nature but in politics, economics and culture. It reveals how our social institutions “make” race, by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status and wealth.