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News Release

Contact: Mark McGowan, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-9472

October 6, 2004

NIU’s Dialogue on Race weekend
works to open students’ eyes, hearts

DeKalb — Now in its fifth year, Northern Illinois University’s Dialogue on Race will push the students who participate to dig deep within themselves for a better understanding of racism – and a clearer path to racial harmony.

Students who attend the free weekend retreat, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23, inside the Campus Life Building, will discuss the explosive topic, engage in small group interactions and watch videos as they learn how to confront prejudice and discrimination and to celebrate diversity.

“Talking about race, and the impact of race on our everyday lives, is one of the most difficult things to do in America,” said Anna Beth Payne, associate director of the Counseling and Student Development Center. “If nothing else, this weekend provides an opportunity to learn how to talk about that and to do it in ways that are effective, interesting, challenging and supportive.”

Payne said racism is becoming “less overt” and “more institutionalized” in modern times.

“Dealing with it at a deeper level, person to person, is a much harder thing to do. It requires individuals to really examine their own views about race, racism, privilege, power, what it means to be white, what it means to be not white. Those are all very personal questions,” she said.

“By the end of the weekend, our students allow themselves to open up and to be touched by all those questions. They walk away with a greater sense of who they are, a greater appreciation of what it’s like to be someone different than themselves and a greater commitment to addressing issues of race and racism,” she added. “Their eyes are opened in ways that, for a lot of them, are really quite profound.”

Payne helped to organize the first two retreats, which are guided by NIU faculty and staff of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Students who attend are asked for a “strong commitment to improve the current racial climate at NIU” as well as “a willingness to explore their own racial prejudices.” They also should come with “a willingness to listen and help others explore their prejudices in a safe and supportive manner.”

“The thing that keeps on striking me is the way in which students become willing to open up to each other in really honest ways, the risks that they’re willing to take and the support they give each other,” Payne said. “They’re really very supportive of each other.”

Participants are reminded twice of their experience – and the promises they make to carry forth what they learned – after the weekend is over.

“One of the things we’ve done is ask them to make a commitment to themselves in writing about how they will carry forth what they’ve learned. About two weeks after that, we send their commitments to them to remind them of what they said,” said Kathy Hotelling, director of the Counseling and Student Center.

They also regroup a month later at a dinner, she said, where “they talk about their experiences and what they took from the workshop.”

Interested students can learn more about the Dialogue on Race and obtain applications by calling (815) 753-1206. The application also is available online at www.stuaff.niu.edu/csdc/DialogueOnRace.htm.

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