Writers Bloc with Michele Norris | March 6

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 — 7:30 pm

For years, you heard Michele Norris anchor NPR’s All Things Considered. You heard her eke the truth out of tough interviews she conducted for NPR. She’s earned countless major awards for her journalism, including Emmy, Peabody, Dupont, and Goldsmith awards.

And if you don’t remember her Race Card project, it was brilliant in its simplicity. She sent out a clarion call to listeners all over: Race. Your Story. Six Words. Please Send. Over half a million people answered that call with six words that defined their own racial identity, or their view of others in America.

In her new book, Our Hidden Conversations, Michele Norris offers her insight into the deeply complex relationship that people have about race in America. Now used in schools, businesses, courtrooms, and prisons, the Race Card Project is a tool that cuts to the heart of the matter, and its results are often surprising, moving, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s profoundly revealing and beautifully illustrated by artist Kadir Nelson.

Moderator:
Lena Waithe is an Emmy-winning writer, producer, actor, and founder of Hillman Grad, a media company created to empower and provide industry access to underrepresented artists and amplify the stories of diverse, historically marginalized communities across all industries. Known for Master of None, The Chi, Queen & Slim, and Dear White People, Lena’s latest credits include the Emmy-nominated documentary film Being Mary Tyler Moore, the 2023 Sundance Film Festival award-winning films A Thousand and One, which received the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and a Gotham Award nomination for “Best Feature,” Kokomo City which received the NEXT Audience and NEXT Innovator awards and is a Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominee, and the Tony-nominated play, Ain’t No Mo’.