by Ann Fields
I was skeptical. A group of women of all cultures, all backgrounds coming together to beat back racism using fiction novels as the means? Really? Now, don’t get me wrong. I love books. I love reading. And as a black woman, I LOVE the idea of eradicating racism. But using fiction as a tool to fight racism? I was with the “show me state” folks on that premise.
Fast forward three years and now I am a believer.
I have been a member of the Multicultural Women’s Book Group (MWBG) from inception in 2017 to present. The goals of the group then and now are: use contemporary fiction (and a few non-fiction) book discussions as a segue into talks on race, to build cross-cultural relationships, and the ultimate goal, combat racism through exposure, understanding, acceptance, repentance, and forgiveness.
You may be thinking as I did initially, “no way!” But here’s how the goals are achieved, how the group works for me, and I am assuming, the other 15 or so women.
To eliminate contentious, disingenuous, counter-productive debates, we ground all discussions in civility, respect, and “I” statements (among others); a complete list of discussion guidelines are stated, posted, or referenced during meetings.
All members are expected to share responsibility for the group’s functioning. Members sign-up to lead discussions, to share readings, to serve on the book selection committee, to monitor behavior within the group, to bring food, and to head special events. This expectation leads to ownership, buy-in, and commitment by group members. It also surprisingly (or not surprisingly) leads to intimacy and openness, the basis of any relationship.
It’s quite natural that splinter relationships form out of the overall group. I have had the pleasure of spending time outside of book group meetings with several members, two of which I share lunch with as often as our schedules allow. Both are white. Another member, a white woman, has had coffee, lunch, or happy hour with almost every woman in the group. She’s my hero. I aim to do that, too, but in the meantime, I am content to attend wedding receptions, graduations, book events, etc. with members. Cross-cultural relationships are definitely forming.
Personal growth has always been important to me. MWBG gives me the opportunity to learn more about the Asian, Hispanic, and even my own black culture. Having members of all races at the table greatly enhances the discussions. Hearing and seeing reactions from all races is informative and rewarding. And have I mentioned how affirming the group is?
I could go on, but hopefully you see now how fiction helps to alleviate racism. And really I could have summed the points in a few words: MWBG helps me move beyond the superficial to seek and embrace the person within. We are, after all, sisters of one race, the human race.