One of Trellis' prime objectives in building collaborations is the pursuit of racial reconciliation.

With February being Black History Month, there are a number of events and resources that we want to highlight that can help us listen to and learn from each other. Our hope then is that in so doing, we better understand and appreciate and even advocate for each other.

Black Panther

This movie, which has posted the 5th best US opening of all time can provide an entertaining way to experience a cultural moment. As you think about seeing it, why not consider seeing it with people that are not like you and then spending some time after the movie debriefing about the movie.

The history of slavery is long and deep in our country and this is an opportunity to better understand its effects locally. Events like put on by Brooklyn Borough Hall, also provide moments to meet people who's families experienced, struggled through and overcame these harsh realities and have gone on to make Brooklyn what it is today.

You can sign up HERE

Renewing our Thinking through Reading

There are a lot of good books out there right now [and if you have recommendations, please put them in the comments] that can help us better understand the experiences and perspectives of others.

Heart and Mind Books has put together this great list in helping us hear the voices of those inviting us into the beautiful and hard work of reconciliation. These books, among many others can help us, as the blog says,

“[we] are struggling to know what to think, what to say, what to do as we enter these conversations, [and] respond to egregious acts of prejudice.”

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It's also never too early to begin these conversations with our children and this list is a great way to creatively and appropriately talk with our kids about the history of race in the United States

Art and Food Open Conversations

The Walls Ortiz Gallery is inviting us to join them in February for Harlem: Spirit of Community.

Harkening back to the days of the Harlem Renaissance, this exhibition features four local artists whose artwork explores the impact of community on personal narrative. Through visual storytelling in mixed media, Aleathia Brown, Michael Chamblee, Adrian Hashimi, and Nate Ladson invite viewers to make meaning of their perspectives on identity and perception as African Americans in Harlem. This exhibition celebrates Black History month by showing how leisure, family, and place bring people together around a common identity and the spirit of community. The exhibit, curated by Anthony Artis and Maria Liu Wong, will run from February 12 – 28, 2018

You can sign up HERE

Keep the Conversation Going

Finally, a couple of resources to keep the conversation and learning going past this month.

Urban Intellectuals has produced this great first volume of Black History Flash Cards. The 52-card series provides many untold stories and unknown figures that have given shape, color, and definition to the worlds of academia, science, civil rights, education, the arts, and more.
Equal Justice Initiative produces a yearly calendar with facts and images about our history that are not well known but are critically important to understanding the history of America. The calendar includes hundreds of historical entries and twelve short essays highlighting historical events and issues in our nation's racial history