As the country continues to cope with both the coronavirus pandemic and questions about racial equity, Rotary has stepped forward in an effort to create virtual places to discuss the need for social justice. 

 

“Since the pandemic began it’s so easy for Rotary clubs to connect with each other across the country,” explained Jim Cousins, president of the Minneapolis Rotary Club #9. One such partnership has been forged between the Minneapolis club, the Rotary Club of Topeka and the Rotary Club of Harlem. Members of all three clubs joined for a virtual meeting on July 7 for a guided discussion on unconscious bias. 

 

“The entire country has been looking inward at what we’ve been missing and what we can do different moving forward,” said Cousins, who noted that the recent racial reckoning in Minneapolis was the impetus for the collaboration. 

 

The conversation was moderated by trained facilitator Dwayne R. Norris, the former president of the Rotary Club of Harlem and a member of Rotary since 2013. Following the session, one of Cousins’ takeaways was that although we are all inhabiting the same physical space, it seems like we are living in two different worlds. “White people live in the exact same world but experience it radically differently, and we don’t even realize who people of color are experiencing the world.” 

 

The clubs also compiled an Unconscious Bias Resource Guide, which includes materials such as the implicit bias test and an NPR radio story from On the Media that focuses on understanding the implications of unconscious bias. 

 

Roughly 50 members from the three clubs attended the session, and there are hopes of hosting another collaborative session in the next few weeks. “This is all about starting a conversation,” said Cousins, “and because we’re Rotarians we’re starting it here.”