Truth-Telling and Reconciliation Dialogue Held Friday at SIUE
The scholars on the panel included:
- Dr. Jennifer Logue, assistant professor, Educational Leadership and Women’s Studies at SIUE, moderator of the panel
- Dr. Alyson K. Spurgas, assistant professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies at SIUE
- Dr. David Ragland, co-director of the Truth-Telling Project for Ferguson and Beyond, visiting professor of Education from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania
- Dr. Jessica A. Heybach, associate professor of Education, Aurora University
- Dr. Eric C. Sheffield, professor of Philosophical Foundations of Education, Missouri State University in Springfield
“We have to tell the truth about what the realities are for different people,” Ragland said. “And apologies or reconciliation won’t mean anything if actions do not follow.
Part of truth-telling also involves dismantling utopia myths, Sheffield said.
“The Great American myth says that you can be whatever you want to be if you work hard at it,” Sheffield said. “It doesn’t allow for institutional racism and white privilege. So, if a person doesn’t succeed, whose fault is it?
“We are all guilty on various levels of contributing to the problem and barriers,” said Logue. “How can we build better communities?”
Photos:
Dr. David Ragland, seen in gold blazer, is the co-director of the Truth-Telling Project for Ferguson and Beyond
Dr. Eric C. Sheffield, professor of Philosophical Foundations of Education, Missouri State University in Springfield
