G.O.T. Power, MSPJC’s training program, welcomes Max Farley as our intern. Max is a freshman at Rhodes College and will be working on the logistics of our public workshops. Max will also write workshop reviews so that folks who are unable to attend or are curious can learn about a participant’s perspective on each workshop. Read Max’s first review below!
On a windy Thursday night this past January, I had the opportunity to attend a Privilege and Oppression Awareness Workshop, put on by the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. As I approached the entrance to the workshop, which took place downtown at the National Civil Rights Museum, I passed by a memorial wreath, placed below the balcony of the Lorraine motel in commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was reminded, in this moment of a quote from Dr. King that concerns education. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” Dr. King said, adding that “Intelligence plus character- that is the goal of true education.”
G.O.T. Power education programs, of which this workshop was a part, are events focused around the ideals of direct education, a method that seeks to bring groups together through honest and vulnerable discussion of potentially divisive topics. During the course of the two hour workshop, I watched as ten people, who arrived as individuals, broke down barriers and forged a collective, open space for a dialogue about their experiences and struggles involving the issues of oppression and privilege. I believe that the format and purpose of this workshop, along with the powerful force that is a open discussion, allowed those who attended to “think intensively and to think critically” about the comprehensive issues of privilege and oppression, and I was blessed with the opportunity to watch this happen, as well as massively impressed with the experience, and would encourage anyone, whether they believe they have a role to play with divisive issues such as privilege and oppression or not, to participate in one of these nights of enriching community and dialogue.