District 5080 DEI Book Club

The DEI Book Club had its first meeting in January of 2021 via zoom with a discussion of Ijeoma Oluo’s book “So You Want to Talk About Race.”

Facilitated by Leslie Waters from Colville Rotary club and Maddy Harlamovs from the e-club of Waneta Sunshine, our goal is to educate ourselves and our club members about issues around diversity, equity and inclusion.

We have read a variety of books; some on history, a couple of novels and some more focused on solutions. Meetings have been on the third Wednesdays of each month with a break over the summer and in December.

Although 30 members signed up, we have about a dozen regular members who attend monthly to discuss the reading selections. There have been some great discussions! We never fail to see our selections with new eyes after hearing what stood out for other group members.

Some people join us just to listen, while others get the book lists and recommended readings for independent study. You can also join us on our Facebook page, where we post some thoughts on the books, along with videos that are relevant to DEI.

A District 5080 DEI Book Club Participants Guide is also available for review.

 Since that first meeting, we have read and shared:

“Born A Crime,” by Trevor Noah

“The Color of Law,” by Richard Rothstein

“Americanah,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“The Inconvenient Indian,” by Thomas King

“Caste,” by Isabel Wilkerson

“See No Stranger,” by Valerie Kaur

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

 We meet monthly on the third Wednesday of each month.  If you'd like to join us, please email Maddy at maddyh@telus.net to be added to our list of members.