The YWCA Gettysburg & Adams County will host a 14-part discussion series based on the book Witnessing Whiteness: The Journey into Racial Awareness and Antiracist Action, 3rd ed. by Shelly Tochluk beginning September 9.

Where: The discussions are held via video conference.

When: on the second and fourth Mondays of each month from 6 to 8 pm, September 9, 2024, to March 24, 2025.

Cost: Free for all to participate.

How to prepare to participate: Each session will be based on a chapter of the book, and participants should read each chapter before the corresponding discussion.  *Copies of the book are provided for the first twenty participants through funding from the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice.* 

Witnessing Whiteness offers a comprehensive and empathetic exploration of what white people experience when learning about race, why it is so confusing, how whiteness works in their lives, and how to act against racism. The author combines authentic storytelling, nuanced analysis, and compelling voices from a collection of cross-race guides to lead readers through a self-reflective process that creates clarity about today’s challenging and often contradicting messages about how to be antiracist.

Discussions will be facilitated by Rosie Bolen and Nancy Lilley.

Bolen serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training and Development at Mount St. Mary’s University. She is a certified mediator and has received training in group facilitation. She engages in racial and social justice activism in the community through her work as a board member of the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice (ICPJ).

Lilley serves as the Advocacy Director of the YWCA, is on the planning committee of the Adams County Heritage Festival, and recently received the Lifetime of Peacemaking Award from ICPJ. She has received social justice training certification through Cultural Bridges to Justice.