EAST LANSING, Mich. — In partnership with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan, the East Lansing-MSU One Book, One Community program will host a live virtual event on Tuesday, March 2 from 7-8 p.m. featuring Professor Loretta J. Ross.
The live, virtual event, entitled “Calling in with Loretta J. Ross,” will feature a 30-minute presentation on calling in the calling out culture — the subject of Professor Ross’s forthcoming book, “Calling In the Calling Out Culture: Detoxing Our Movement.” In her 2019 essay, “Speaking Up Without Tearing Down,” Professor Ross explains:
“Calling out happens when we point out a mistake, not to address or rectify the damage, but instead to publicly shame the offender. In calling out, a person or group uses tactics like humiliation, shunning, scapegoating or gossip to dominate others…Calling in is a technique that does allow all parties to move forward. It’s a concept created by human-rights practitioners to challenge the toxicity of call-out culture. Calling in is speaking up without tearing down.”
Following Professor Ross’s presentation, East Lansing Public Library Director Kristin Shelley will moderate a conversation with the activist and scholar. Participants can submit questions during the Zoom webinar event or ahead of time by sending an email to onebookmsu@gmail.com. Community members can join the live event via Zoom (please pre-register) or Facebook Live.
Loretta J. Ross is an Associate Professor at Smith College in Northampton, MA in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender. She teaches courses on white supremacy, human rights and calling in the calling out culture. To learn more about “Calling In,” listen to the WBUR radio interview with Professor Ross.