There There - Study Circles Online Conversation

 

The Disproportionality Technical Assistance Network, or “The Network,” is offering a unique opportunity for all participating school staff, equity teams, and partners for continuing our personal and professional racial equity work, with a focus on the American Indian student experience. Join us in a Study Circles Online Conversation and the exploration the book, There There by Tommy Orange. Each online session will use Orange’s book as a foundation for the conversation while exploring the impact of the opportunity gap on our American Indian students in the state of Wisconsin.

The Study Circles Online Conversations help to address racial and ethnic barriers to student achievement and family involvement by engaging school staff, community members and partners in dialogue and problem solving.

 

Tommy Orange’s shattering novel follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to each other in ways they may not yet realize. There is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and working to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, who is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death, has come to work at the powwow to honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil has come to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Hailed as an instant classic, There There is at once poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, utterly contemporary and always unforgettable.

 

• have an opportunity to read and discuss the selected book with other participants from across Wisconsin
• engage in conversations with colleagues and explore multiple perspectives about American Indian studies and the education of American Indian students
• address misconceptions and stereotypes of American Indian peoples, communities, and nations

Orientation (required) | Monday, October 21, 2019 | 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm via Zoom

Session #1 | Monday, November 11, 2019 | 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm via Zoom

Session #2 | Monday, November 25, 2019 | 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm via Zoom

Session #3 | Monday, December 9, 2019 | 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm via Zoom

 

REGISTRATION: There There - Study Circles Online Conversation