[Due to a funeral happening this Saturday, the date of this gathering has been pushed forward a week to the 24th]

Let’s talk about race, baby…

tbV and i have been back in South Africa for just over two years and for most of that time i have been talking about race online in different ways and trying to read and learn and listen and figure out and engage with so many different people in different ways on race… i think i’m ready for a face to face.

If you’re not in Cape Town, then don’t be disheartened. Make your own Facebook status and invite your own people and name a place and a time and see if anyone shows up. If no-one shows up this Saturday at 10am at a venue to be announced, then i will get some more reading of ‘Country of my Skull’ done. Win-Win.

i have spoken before of two similar meeting gathering times like this i have done and i have been wanting to do this for quite a while.

Not a meeting

My good buddy Rob even went as far as making a shirt for one of the meetings.

The first was actually called Not a Meeting and we did them every now and then at Seattle coffee shop in Century City/Canal Walk and usually a handful of people came together and we spoke about God and faith and life and stuff.

The second set of gatherings we had a few years later were also at Seattle coffee shop in Century City/Canal Walk and were called Oikos which is the greek word for community, and as i understood it ‘the entire household including the slaves’ so the idea of ‘everyone gets to play’ – again the focus was on God and people who loved God but had issues with church.

Both meeting gatherings had some really great times and a whole lot of awkward and i expect no difference from this next set which i’m thinking of calling Race with me [i have actually just started filming a video series called Race with me so consistency of name feels like a good thing – one more episode to film and i will start actually showing them to people but am busy trying to work on technicalities of filming and so on so a ways to go].

The basic idea is a place [to be announced – am thinking Mugging Bean at Cavendish cos of the bottomless coffee aspect – can’t justify meeting at Seattle with their prices any more but just worried about the exclusiveness that meeting at Cavendish might carry for some people? Thoughts?] and a time and an opportunity to come and engage around race. There will be no agenda or program or minutes or anything like that. i just want to meet with others who think race is worth talking and hopefully learning about to see how we’re doing – what’s easy – what’s hard – what’s next – what are people reading or engaging with or learning from?

And it’s open to everyone BUT one stipulation is that i am wanting to create a safe place [not a comfortable one] where any question goes. The internet is often not a safe space for this as you can get smashed from all sides if you ask the wrong question or say the wrong thing. i’m wanting to create a grace space for people who might be nervous about what they want to say or ask.

If you’re interested let me know and i can update the details once i have them but 10 a.m. Saturday 24th is what we have so far.

i’m excited for this. Come and race with me.