One of our readers, August Mears, asked us to share this:

A 21st Century Conversation about Race will be held from 7:00 - 9:00 pm on Friday, July 23rd at award-winning community venue Uptown Body and Fender in Oakland, Ca.  At this public event Shakti Butler, PhD will lead a conversation about race using clips from her forthcoming film/dialogue project, Cracking the Codes: Race & Relationships in the 21st Century, as a catalyst for discussion.

"The divided response to the Grant/Mehserle trial outcome is another sign that we need to work toward a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of racism in this country," said Shakti Butler, filmmaker and Executive Director of World Trust, "and I believe in the power of film and dialogue to initiate the process.  Our goal is to spark individual learning and link it to a growing collective will that is committed to change."

Local artist and social justice educator August Mears is hosting this benefit for World Trust with friends. After seeing Dr. Butler facilitate a conversation about race last month, Ms. Mears was inspired to organize the event, saying, "With a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play, we can take our part in undoing the racism embedded in the structures of the policies, laws and institutions governing our daily lives.  This is a terrifically large undertaking and we need powerful tools to help us along the way.  Shakti Butler’s films are just such powerful tools – making this work accessible and incredibly uplifting.  We hope the community turns out in force for this event.

The footage below is a preview of what will be shown at the event.  This clip from Cracking the Codes: Race & Relationships in the 21st Century features the perspectives of two educators, an African American man, Ise Lyfe, and a white woman, Tilman Smith.