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Cliveden Conversation Features Authors of "Gather At The Table"

Posted on Oct 16, 2012 | Comments (0)

Philadelphia, PA: Gather at the Table: The Healing Journey of a Daughter of Slavery and a Son of the Slave Trade, the new book from Beacon Press, chronicles the shared journey toward racial reconciliation by authors Thomas Norman DeWolf and Sharon Leslie Morgan. Their national tour promotes conversations about race, social justice, and healing from the generational trauma of slavery and racism at colleges, universities and other venues.

Cliveden of the National Trust will host Morgan and DeWolf on October 18, 2012 as part of their Cliveden Conversation series from 7 - 9 pm in the Cliveden Carriage House. They will share excerpts from their book, introduce a model of healing, engage the audience in conversation and answer questions. The event is free to the public and media is invited to cover.

In Gather at the Table, DeWolf and Morgan speak candidly about racism and the unhealed wounds of slavery. "The legacy of slavery," they write, "is a combination of historical, cultural, and structural trauma that continues to touch everyone in American society today." "Schools, neighborhoods and churches are as segregated as ever; health disparities between black and white people remain significant and African Americans are overrepresented in prisons and underrepresented in colleges. Racism is more subtle now that in the past, but it still exists. Healing will happen and change will occur, when people start listening to one another and looking truthfully at their ancestral experiences." The importance of the book's message, given the present climate of political and social discord, could not be timelier.

2011 Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee hails Gather at the Table as "an honest exploration into the deep social wounds left by racism, violence and injustice." John Paul Lederach, Professor of International Peacebuilding at Notre Dame calls it, "An extraordinary story of an honest, meaningful conversation across the racial divide."

For more information about the book, a media kit and a complete list of scheduled appearances: www.gatheratthetable.net.