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Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Contact: Ellen Cantor, Reading Together, cantore@lanecc.edu (541) 463-3660
Dr. Ronald Takaki, home (510) 527-1926
For release April 5, 2005
Renowned diversity scholar to speak at Lane
EUGENE, OR - Author and diversity scholar Ron Takaki will speak at Lane Community College on "America in a Different Mirror: Re-visioning Our Nation's Past," on Thursday, April 21, at 10 a.m. in the Performance Hall, Building 6, main campus, 4000 E. 30th Avenue in Eugene. A book signing will follow from 11:30 a.m.-noon. The event is free and open to the public.
Takaki also will lecture and sign his books on Wednesday, April 20, at 3:30 p.m. at Willamette High School, Powers Auditorium, 1801 Echo Hollow Rd., Eugene.
It is important to teach diversity in today's society, says Takaki, as we have been "swept into the 21st Century with expanding ethnic diversity and our nation's war against terrorism." He says it is necessary to acknowledge and understand our nation's "larger memory." "As Americans, we are the world, and have the unique capacity to relate to the world. Herman Melville discerned this truth about us: ' America was settled by peoples of all nations. Spill the blood of an American, and you spill the blood of the world. We are not a narrow tribe.' To recognize this truth, we need only look at our history, more inclusively and more accurately."
Takaki has been described as a "minority everyman . . . a rare hybrid, a multicultural scholar" by the Los Angeles Times. He is a professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught for more than 30 years. His foundational work in ethnic studies curriculum and the multi-cultural graduation requirement has served as a conceptual model for developing similar programs in colleges across the country. Professor Takaki is the author of 11 books, including Lane Community College's 2004-05 Reading Together book, "A Larger Memory: a History of Our Diversity, With Voices." His books have been selected for national recognition, including as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and the American Book Award.
Born in 1939, Takaki is the grandson of immigrant Japanese Hawaiian plantation workers and has received numerous awards and honors. He advised former President Clinton and Vice President Gore on race and ethnic matters and he has lectured internationally.
For more information, contact Ellen Cantor, 463-3660.###
