The Anti-Racism Reading Group is currently has no planned future meetings. This page includes information about the group and past readings.

• Open to all current Tufts University students, staff, and faculty, as well as Tufts Medical Center and affiliated hospitals faculty and staff.
• All meetings held virtually on Zoom.
• Meetings are not recorded.
• All selected readings are free or freely available to those with a Tufts affiliation.

We follow these Community Guidelines in each of our reading group meetings:

• I recognize that we must strive to overcome historical and divisive biases, such as racism and sexism in our society.
• I acknowledge that we are all systemically taught misinformation about our own groups and group members.
• I acknowledge that everyone is at a different stage in their learning and unlearning.
• I will respect others by listening without interruptions (this does not mean that a problematic statement should not be addressed).
• I share the space by reflecting on whether I am taking up too much space and giving enough silence for others to speak up.
• I agree to use “I” statements.
• I will not tokenize statements made by BIPOC folks.
• I will assume good intentions, while also owning that good intentions sometimes produce a negative impact.
• I will seek first to understand, then to be understood.
• I acknowledge that what is a safe space for me is not necessarily a safe space for others.
   

We practice progressive stacking at our reading group discussions.

This is is a technique of centering/raising voices of minoritized people in conversation by prioritizing their questions and comments over that of non-minoritized people.

If you identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC) and wish to have your comment/question prioritized, please either:

• Put an asterisk next to your private question or comment so that the moderators can prioritize your voice
• Put an asterisk next to your display name so that moderators can prioritize your voice

If you do not identify as BIPOC, please do not use an asterisk.

Why is progressive stacking important?

• Part of doing anti-racist work is to thoughtfully work against seen/unseen structures; one of those is white people’s voices being prioritized in most settings. Progressive stacking flips this societal structure by prioritizing the voices of BIPOC in ways that white voices are usually prioritized.
• Not all BIPOC are visible. Progressive stacking helps take the assumptions out of the picture and allow folks to self-identify.

Fall 2021, noon to 1pm EST

• September 10th
   What Is Race? by Whit Taylor
  Explore the meaning of race through a graphic medicine (comic) reading.
  Discussion questions
• October 8th
  Advocating for Black Women with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Ricki's Story by Stories@Gilead
  Ricki is an advocate for patients with and a survivor of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Learn about her work and the issues facing Black women with this illness in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 
  Discussion questions
• November 5th
  Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
  A First Nations (Indigenous) woman of the Stó:lō people recounts her life story, including facing a dual diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder. We read this to honor Native American Heritage Month.
  Discussion questions

June 11th, July 9th, and August 13th, noon to 1pm EST

In our first Summer Reading Series, we discussed the book Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination by Alondra Nelson, over the course of three sessions. Discussion Questions.

May 21st, 2021, noon to 1pm EST

Reading & Discussion Questions - at this meeting we read a scholarly article focusing on issues with data collection for the Asian diaspora in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

April 23rd, 2021, noon to 1pm EST

Reading & Discussion Questions - at this meeting we all read the same reading, a scholarly article regarding dismantling institutional racism.

February 19th, 2021, noon to 1pm EST

Reading & Discussion Questions - at this meeting we all read the same reading, a scholarly article regarding the broad topic of racism and health care.

October 23rd, 2020, noon to 1pm EST

Readings & Discussion Questions - at this meeting we read different readings based on our discipline.

These readings and discussions will mention race-based harm and/or violence towards the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

Would you like to sign up to receive an email when registration opens for a new reading group meeting as well as one reminder closer to the date of the meeting? 

Please fill out this form.

Note: to ensure Tufts affiliation, we can only send these reminder emails to Tufts University, TMC, or affiliated hospital email addresses.