Any way you slice it, race shapes our identities and our perceptions of others. Robin D.G. Kelley once wrote, “[Racism] is not about how you look, it’s about how people assign meaning to the way you look.”
At Strong Women, Strong Girls we are always looking to learn more about the ways in which our identities shape our perspectives. This week, Meghan Trombly and I were lucky enough to attend a preview of an exhibit that is coming to the Museum of Science in Boston, called RACE: Are we so different? At the event, we learned what to expect from the exhibit, as well as the events that the Museum of Science is putting on in conjunction with it.
This exhibit “brings together the everyday experience of living with race, its history as an idea, the role of science in that history, and the findings of contemporary science that are challenging its foundations.” In addition to the exhibit that has been traveling around the country, the Museum of Science will be adding an artistic piece by Halsey Burgund exploring the racial dynamics of Boston.
As part of the lead-up to the exhibit, the Museum of Science is conducting a poetry contest, in conjunction with WROR. Students in grades K-12 are invited to submit a poem that best describes their interpretation of equality and diversity. The contest is open until Christmas Eve, and the winners will read their poem on the radio and at a live event at the museum.
The exhibit opens on January 16, and we’ll be taking a staff field trip there on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We’re eager to learn from the exhibit and use the knowledge we gain to inform our work with women and girls.
So, check out the Race Project, submit a poem to the contest, and visit the exhibit when it opens January 16. And leave us a comment to share the ways that you are learning about and engaging in dialogue around race.