The Facts About Slavery in Vermont
I went to an event at the First Congregational Church, hosted by the Racial Justice Alliance. It was about Slavery in VT, and the current laws that VT has vs other states, and what needs to happen moving forward. Also, my friend Ally went with me and that was really nice of her!
I didn't learn very much, and I didn't enjoy it. Here's why:
I didn't come in with enough background information. With previous events, I either had a basic knowledge, or the event was designed for people with minimal prior knowledge of the subject. For this event, they dove right in, and I was a little bit lost from the start. There was a lot of mentioning of laws and cases that I hadn't heard of, and this made it hard for me to follow.
The information wasn't given in a way that was easy to understand. The presentation was VERY text heavy (a few paragraphs on some slides) with almost no images or other visuals. It was all black text on a white background. The first three slides took up the first hour and a half or so, and then they went through maybe 20 slides in the last half hour. The time management wasn't great, and often, what the speakers were saying didn't match the current slide.
The speakers weren't very professional. I was NOT expecting there to be yelling, and if I had known that things would get kind of heated, I probably wouldn't have sat so close to the speakers. Two of the panelists (and there were only two) pretty much argued the whole time. One was an old white man, and the other had written a book, and nearly everything he said involved mentioning his book. The author guy also consistently grimaced when the old guy said something, and then after, said (more than once!) "I disagree with you. I very much disagree. And it's okay to disagree, but I do not agree with anything you just said." and then went and corrected him, but actually was saying pretty much the same thing as old white guy said. And then old white guy said "I agree with what you just said. I don't think we disagree" and then paraphrased what author guy said who then disagreed again. And they just kind of... did that! All night! It was very clear that author guy did not want to be there, and it was very clear that old white man didn't want to be arguing. The main speaker wasn't bad, he definitely got loud, but not in an angry way, more just an intense way. However, at one point an audience member asked if the panelists could speak on the topic he has brought up, and he very loudly and blatantly said "No!" which I felt could've been said nicer. The atmosphere was NOT a safe one to learn and make mistakes. I didn't voice any opinions or ask questions.
Also, it said it was a "discussion" but really it was more like a lecture? Which, I'm kind of glad that it wasn't an event where I was supposed to contribute, but also feel lied to about what I was walking into.
Overall, not something I recommend going to, unless you are super super interested and don't mind loud people and churches. After going, I have learned that I still really do not like history, and I also do not like how cold Burlington is, and I also don't like loud upset men.
I didn't learn very much, and I didn't enjoy it. Here's why:
I didn't come in with enough background information. With previous events, I either had a basic knowledge, or the event was designed for people with minimal prior knowledge of the subject. For this event, they dove right in, and I was a little bit lost from the start. There was a lot of mentioning of laws and cases that I hadn't heard of, and this made it hard for me to follow.
The information wasn't given in a way that was easy to understand. The presentation was VERY text heavy (a few paragraphs on some slides) with almost no images or other visuals. It was all black text on a white background. The first three slides took up the first hour and a half or so, and then they went through maybe 20 slides in the last half hour. The time management wasn't great, and often, what the speakers were saying didn't match the current slide.
The speakers weren't very professional. I was NOT expecting there to be yelling, and if I had known that things would get kind of heated, I probably wouldn't have sat so close to the speakers. Two of the panelists (and there were only two) pretty much argued the whole time. One was an old white man, and the other had written a book, and nearly everything he said involved mentioning his book. The author guy also consistently grimaced when the old guy said something, and then after, said (more than once!) "I disagree with you. I very much disagree. And it's okay to disagree, but I do not agree with anything you just said." and then went and corrected him, but actually was saying pretty much the same thing as old white guy said. And then old white guy said "I agree with what you just said. I don't think we disagree" and then paraphrased what author guy said who then disagreed again. And they just kind of... did that! All night! It was very clear that author guy did not want to be there, and it was very clear that old white man didn't want to be arguing. The main speaker wasn't bad, he definitely got loud, but not in an angry way, more just an intense way. However, at one point an audience member asked if the panelists could speak on the topic he has brought up, and he very loudly and blatantly said "No!" which I felt could've been said nicer. The atmosphere was NOT a safe one to learn and make mistakes. I didn't voice any opinions or ask questions.
Also, it said it was a "discussion" but really it was more like a lecture? Which, I'm kind of glad that it wasn't an event where I was supposed to contribute, but also feel lied to about what I was walking into.
Overall, not something I recommend going to, unless you are super super interested and don't mind loud people and churches. After going, I have learned that I still really do not like history, and I also do not like how cold Burlington is, and I also don't like loud upset men.
Comments
Post a Comment