Four and a half years ago, Barack Obama, then a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, delivered his famous speech from Philadelphia s National Constitution Center urging Americans to move beyond our racial stalemate toward a more perfect union.
Although he would go on to be elected the nation s first African-American president, the issue of race continues to be relevant this year as he campaigns for a second term.
Today it's more subtle but no less prevalent," said Associate Professor of Journalism Karen Turner, who organized and moderated an Oct. 9 Race in the Race town hall forum at Temple to explore the issue in depth.
Sponsored by the university s Academic Center on Research and Diversity (ACCORD), the event featured a panel of 10 student leaders, who discussed major issues of the presidential election cycle, including how the candidates and the media have addressed race and diversity. Panelists included representatives of groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine, the Poetry Collective and Alpha Phi Alpha.
The student leaders, representing the best of Temple, were well-spoken about race and diversity in the presidential race and were willing to share their views in a civil manner that promoted a conversation, said Turner. With our diverse student population, we have a unique opportunity at Temple to have such dialogues.
It really opened my eyes to different viewpoints of my fellow students, said Darin Bartholomew, vice president of Temple College Republicans.
Audience members also had a chance to share their perspectives. Attendees were encouraged to pose questions and to further the discussion on Twitter by using the hashtag #RaceinRaceTU. The approach allowed students to participate in the discussion while also sharing the panelists views via social media.
Important was the fact that the audience was engaged in the discussion, said Turner. However, as an entire Temple community we need to more actively engage ourselves.
Turner observed that often people can be afraid to participate because political conversations are difficult and require them to open up in a public forum. But such dialogue is vital to a healthy democracy, she said.
These are issues that need to be raised and openly discussed, agreed Melody Lam, who represented the Asian Students Association at the event.
The event will air on Temple University Television later this month. Watch the TUTV program schedule for an air date.
October 9 was a busy day for political discourse at Temple. In addition to the Race in the Race event, the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) hosted LIVE Election 2012 from Shusterman Hall. The event aired as part of a series of meetings held at select universities across the state.The hour-long program gave college students and area residents a chance to share questions and comments with a guest panel that included: Dom Giordano, of Talk Radio 1210 WPHT; Phil Heron, editor of the Delaware County Daily Times; Robin Kolodny, Temple associate professor of political science, and Joe Sestak, former Congressman.Students participated as audience members and behind-the-scenes technical assistants, with several managing video and recording equipment for the live event. Those who attended as audience members had the opportunity to ask panel members about issues that are important to them, such as the implications of Pennsylvania s controversial voter identification law.
