Eastern’s Academy of Lifelong Learning will be holding its first course of a three-part series called “Transversing Spaces: Increasing Empathy, Understanding, and Equity Cross Colors,” on Tuesday.

This free event will be held virtually from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The next two sessions will be held Tuesday, January 26 and Tuesday, February 2. The course is open to the public, meaning students, faculty, staff, annuitants, and members of the community are all able to attend.

Eastern’s Academy of Lifelong Learning is focused on providing adults opportunities for non-credit learning. The Academy is known for encouraging self-directed learning and dialogue through short courses that appeal to individual interests. Its goal is to provide people with opportunities to learn new skills, engage in conversation about important topics, and explore new areas of learning.

During this virtual class, Dr. Carole Collins Ayanlaja will educate attendees on the history of race in the United States, offering the opportunity for attendees to think about their own identities and better understand how their identities have been shaped. By better understanding their identities, attendees will better comprehend their perceptions of others, as well as others’ perceptions of them.

The course will focus on what it means to realize race is operative and to deconstruct what it means to be racist. At this event, attendees will also explore the reality of institutional racism. This course will also supply attendees with strategies to develop a healthy space for intercultural and interracial collaboration where people’s voices can be heard.

The goal of this event is to ensure attendees leave having learnt greater levels of cultural literacy, empathy, and higher efficacy through clear, confident cross-racial dialogue and engagement to support strong relationships. By learning these things, attendees will be equipped to better comprehend current complex issues.

Though attending all three sessions is recommended, it is not required. People can feel free to attend any of the three sessions.

The Academy will also be hosting other events throughout the school year covering a range of topics including how to eat well during stressful times and how poverty is affecting Coles County during the Covid-19 pandemic. If people are interested in attending, they can do so at https://tinyurl.com/Academy-Spring-2021 or call (217) 581-5114.

Kyara Morales-Rodriguez can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]