Who’s ready to talk about diversity? I know, the idea may make you a little uncomfortable, but this is important.
City Paper guest columnist K.J. Kearney recently wrote about the challenge of fostering true diversity in Charleston, especially among the city’s creative community. As Kearney put it,
“The vast majority of people that make up Charleston’s creative class are white, and the vast majority of their friends and contacts in the industry are white. As such, this is why you’ll see mostly white people at Pecha Kucha or at Charlie’s Unity Issue party or anytime somebody hosts a conversation about race or gentrification. This doesn’t mean the people who put on these events are racist or bigots, nor does it mean that these events aren’t good (Pecha Kucha and Charlie’s Unity Issue and party were all awesome). It means that you’re going to get a lot of the same ideas passed around by a lot of the same people to a lot of the same people — in this case, creative class whites. In the end, that isn’t going to bring the races in Charleston closer together.”
Like any good editorial, it got people talking. Now local nonprofit Enough Pie have gotten in on the discussion and invite all those interested to join the conversation this Saturday at the Royal American. Enough Pie, Kearney, and friends will get together to discuss what steps can be taken to stimulate diversity at creative events in Charleston. According to the event schedule, drinks start at 4 p.m., and the discussion will last from 4:30-6 p.m.
All are welcome, so stop by Saturday for a worthwhile talk about meaningful change.
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