WeRISE. WeREAD.

Welcome to WeRISE. WeREAD.

WeREAD will consist of several events including, but not limited to, a community-wide book read and conversations on How the Word is Passed: a Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith. WeRISE is happy to present this opportunity to our community in hopes of sharing with our students and community members the history that is right here in Westerville.

President of WeRISE, Dr. Tiyi Morris, hopes “that this community read will bring us together through dialogue and activities while inspiring people to advance WeRISE’s mission of transforming our community through racial justice.”

As a part of this community conversation, WeRISE will also host community gatherings such as an African cooking class, a family-centered African dance class, a film screening, a Black history mobile museum, and a Juneteeth event that includes a presentation of our local history project.

“The way we understand history influences our thoughts, actions, and the way we interpret the present. It is important to celebrate the progress we’ve made, but it is also vital that we recognize the ideologies which have plagued our past continue to exist,” explains James Prysock, the Director of the Office of Social Justice and Activism at Otterbein University.

Order your copy of the book here. 

Or borrow from the library here.

For your in person book discussion group? Sign up here. 

For your online book discussion group? Sign up here.