Chicago forum 10/16 - Racial Stereotypes in Media: How do they harm us?

RACIAL STEREOTYPES IN MEDIA:
HOW DO THEY HARM US?
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THEM?

Thursday, October 16, 2003 6:00pm
The First United Methodist Church
(THE CHICAGO TEMPLE)
77 W. Washington, Chicago, IL

Could the media's demonization of another culture cause the U.S. to go to war? Out of the 19 countries the U.S. has bombed since World War II, why has only ONE of these countries had a majority white population (Yugoslavia)? Why is it that sending out 10 resumes under a "white-sounding" name will result in a call back from a potential employer, but a "black-sounding" name with the same credentials must send out 15 resumes (50% more) in order to get a call back?

Most Americans form their impressions of Asians, African-Americans, people of "Middle Eastern" descent, and other groups, from the mainstream media. When these images are false, misleading, and repetitive, what are the negative effects on employment, civil liberties, and world peace?

To open the evening, a short 9-minute film, "Planet of the Arabs" by J. Salloum and excerpts from "Color Adjustment" by Marlon Riggs will be shown. After Salim Muwakkil gives the keynote address, he will join a distinguished panel of experts to discuss and debate the evening's topic. These experts include Cliff Kelley (moderator), Suzanne Adely and Cindy Levitt (see below for more information on speakers). Following the panel discussion, there will be a microphone available for an audience comment/question & answer session.

SPEAKERS / PANELISTS:

SALIM MUWAKKIL (keynote speaker) is a Senior Editor of "In These Times" magazine, a writer for the Chicago Tribune and an Open Society Institute Criminal Justice Initiative fellow.

CLIFF KELLEY (moderator) has been active in Chicago's political arena for over 30 years. He is an attorney, political commentator and Chicago radio talk show host on WVON (1450 AM) and "V103"-FM.

SUZANNE ADELY is a graduate student in the Middle East Program at the University of Chicago. She is currently working as a community organizer for the Arab American Action Network.

CINDY LEVITT is co-founder of "Not In My Name", a national Jewish organization which disagrees with U.S. support for Israel's policy toward Palestinians. She is a multicultural educator, peace activist and community organizer with over 28 years of experience.

SHORT FILMS:
"Planet of the Arabs" by J. Salloum (9 min.) and excerpts from "Color Adjustment" by Marlon Riggs will be shown.

WHEN: Thursday, OCTOBER 16TH, 2003

WHERE: 77 W. Washington
The First United Methodist Church (THE CHICAGO TEMPLE)
Chicago, IL (across the street from the Daley Plaza Picasso sculpture.)

TIME: 5:30 pm/ Light refreshments
6:00 - 8:30 pm/ Film excerpts (30 minutes), Speakers, Panel Discussion &
Audience Comment/Question-and-Answer Session

ADMISSION: $5.00 Suggested Donation (or whatever you can afford)

TRANSPORTATION:
- PUBLIC - Call the CTA at 312-836-7000. All lines (Red, Blue, Purple, Brown and Orange) stop within two blocks. Also multiple bus lines stopping nearby. You can park at your local CTA or Metra stop and take public transportation into the downtown area.
- PARKING: Limited street parking available along Clark and Washington Streets. Multiple parking garages are within two blocks, including garages on Washington, Dearborn, Clark or Madison.
-BICYCLES - Bike racks across the street at Daley Plaza

LITERATURE TABLE: There will be a literature table available for browsing. We invite other organizations to bring your handouts and flyers for display (before 5:30, if possible).

SPONSORED BY: CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION
Chicago Media Action (CMA) is an activist group dedicated to analyzing and broadening Chicago's mainstream media and to building Chicago's independent media. CMA is presenting a series of forums because the public has a right to hear all sides of these issues. There were 2 to 3 hundred people in attendance at the September CMA Forum. It was shown several times on Chicago Cable Television (CAN-TV) and received tremendous feedback from the viewing audience.

Please visit the CMA website at: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org for more information.
Download the October 16th event flyer at:
http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/pdffiles/2003-10-16-forum.pdf

CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION
P.O. Box 14140 Chicago, IL 60614
EMAIL ADDRESS: cma@chicagomediaaction.org
WEBSITE: www.chicagomediaaction.org <http://www.chicagomediaaction.org/>
PHONE NUMBER toll free): 1-866-260-7198