Building Bridges Across the Racial Divide

Larry Feldman and Sandy Feldman

Building Bridges Across
the Racial Divide

PETER LANG

New York • Bern • Berlin
Brussels • Vienna • Oxford • Warsaw

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Feldman, Larry, author. | Feldman, Sandy, author.

Title: Building bridges across the racial divide / Larry Feldman and Sandy Feldman.

Description: New York: Peter Lang, 2019.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018058156 | ISBN 978-1-4331-6070-7 (hardback: alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4331-7296-0 (paperback: alk. paper) | ISBN 978-1-4331-6034-9 (ebook pdf)

ISBN 978-1-4331-6035-6 (epub) | ISBN 978-1-4331-6036-3 (mobi)

Subjects: LCSH: United States—Race relations—Study and teaching.

Anti-racism—Study and teaching—United States. Racism—Study and teaching—United States.

Classification: LCC E185.615.F3955 2019 | DDC 305.800973—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018058156

DOI 10.3726/b15198

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.

Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

© 2019 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York

29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006

www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.

Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.

About the authors

Larry Feldman, M.D., and Sandy Feldman, M.S.W., are diversity educators and consultants, adjunct instructors at Lake Michigan College, and practicing psychotherapists. They have been honored for their work in race relations by Andrews University, Lake Michigan College, United Way, the Race Relations Council, the Council for World Class Communities, and the League of Women Voters.

About the book

Building Bridges Across the Racial Divide offers a hopeful view of how well-constructed diversity initiatives can combat entrenched racial prejudice and segregation in American life. This book provides an extensive review of research on methods for reducing stereotypes and prejudice and describes multiple initiatives designed to reduce the negative effects of racial separation by bringing together children, teens, and adults from different racial groups to share a variety of positive experiences.

The concepts in Building Bridges Across the Racial Divide are presented in clear, jargon-free language. Each concept comes alive with detailed examples from a variety of successful programs. Combining specific principles with poignant illustrations, this book will appeal to a wide variety of readers: educators, parents, students, clergy, youth leaders, community organizers, business leaders, and anyone who feels drawn to the goal of “making things better.” This book is an excellent text for courses on diversity, race relations, social psychology, sociology, education, parenting, and community development.

“The Feldmans’ tireless work in racial reconciliation has fostered healing and hope for many years in southwest Michigan. In Building Bridges Across the Racial Divide, they share their story and mentor those of us who hunger for Dr. King’s vision of the ‘Beloved Community.’ Packed with research, stories of fellow sojourners, practical steps, honesty about the struggles, and wisdom born from the courageous practice of deep listening, this book weaves theory and practice in a way that truly helps us live as a ‘family under one sky.’”

Rev. Laurie Hartzell, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Benton Harbor, Michigan

“Building Bridges Across the Racial Divide centers our conversations about race around a critical point in all of our lives—childhood. As a diversity and inclusion professional in higher education, I am always struck by how much damage has been done to young adults entering college/university campuses due to a lack of positive engagement across racial differences at earlier stages in life. The Feldmans’ emphasis on positive contact between individuals from different racial groups while being unapologetic about telling the truth about our country’s racialized and racist history is commendable and deserves recognition. I am a better advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion after reading this seminal work from the Feldmans.”

Michael Nixon, Esq.; Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Andrews University

This eBook can be cited

This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments