A virtual keynote featuring Ambassador Michael A. Lawson.

The killing of George Floyd at the hands of U.S. law enforcement has sparked protests across the world, with thousands gathering in cities like London and Berlin to condemn human rights violations against Black communities in the United States. The world is watching and the moment calls for Americans to reflect on how systemic racism continues to plague our society and institutions.

On Friday, June 5, Ambassador Michael Lawson, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League, will lead a discussion on the message behind the protests taking place across the country, the scale and nature of the challenges facing our city, and the difficult work that must be done to advance racial justice in our communities.

In advance of this conversation, we invite Pacific Council members to explore the resources below to begin dialoguing about systemic racism in America:

Books 

• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo 
• How to be an Anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi 
• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin 
• Blackballed: The Black Vote and U.S. Democracy by Darryl Pinckney
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Articles 

• The 1619 Project by The New York Times 
• The Intersectionality Wars by Jane Coaston 
• The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Podcasts 

• Codeswitch by NPR; start with "The Black Table at the Big Tent"
• Pod Save the People; start with "Justice For Ahmaud Arbery"
• Scene on Radio: "Seeing White" Series; start with "Turning the Lens"
• Come Through with Rebecca Carroll; start with "Elie Mystal: Call It a Lynching"

Movies/Shows 

• 13th on Netflix 
• When They See Us (Series) on Netflix 
• The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson on Netflix 
• The Last Black Man in San Francisco on Amazon Prime
• Just Mercy on Amazon Prime

Featuring:

Ambassador Michael A. Lawson, President & CEO, Los Angeles Urban League

Ambassador Lawson is a Pacific Council Director and president and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League. Read more.

Moderator:

Tanya Acker, Host, The Tanya Acker Podcast; and Co-Host, Hot Bench

Tanya Acker is a Pacific Council member and co-host of the twice Emmy-nominated Hot Bench (CBS Television Distribution), Tanya Acker is also host of The Tanya Acker Show podcast. Read more.