2012 Racial Attitudes Recommendations – Implementations

Part 1 – Implementations

The following is a summary of recommendations suggested by participants at the 9th Annual Racial Attitudes Conference: “Arkansas Media, Race, and Ethnicity: Accountability, Responsibility, and Opportunity,” Roundtable Strategy Session.

During the session,  ideas and suggestions were recorded and later analyzed to incorporate into the work of the Institute. The following list is a summary of the recommendations including tasks that have been implemented since the March 2012 conference:

1. Recommendation – The Institute should follow up on the yearly theme of the Racial Attitudes Conference.

    • Follow-up:
    1. The video of media panel discussion, photos, and information from the conference were posted to website immediately following the event.
    2. The recommendations are also available in a printable format. To download the full report, see the 2012 Roundtable Strategy Session Recommendations.

2. Recommendation – The Institute should provide media professionals with the results of the Racial Attitudes Survey and discussions.

    • Follow-up
    1. The survey report was disseminated to local media outlets.
    2. The report is available online on the Institute’s Research page.

3. Recommendation – The Institute should serve as a clearing house for news related to race and ethnicity.

    • Follow-up: The Institute monitors and shares local, campus, and statewide news and events that promote sustained awareness of race and ethnicity through:
    1. The website, electronic newsletter, and social media outlets, Facebook and Twitter.
    2. An online community calendar that includes statewide events.
    3. Regular review of news articles, journals, and information.

4. Recommendation - The Institute should take discussions about racial attitudes into the community.

    • Follow-up
    1. The survey has been shared with a number of organizations such as political groups and academic institutions.
    2. The Institute has shared information about racial attitudes in discussions with a number of community groups including a committee on the development of a Human Rights Commission in Arkansas

5. Recommendation – The Institute should facilitate more discussion and collaboration among diverse groups representing all walks of life.

    • Follow-up: The Institute has coordinated or assisted in promoting direct interaction between people of different races and ethnicity. Some examples include:
    1. Leading focus groups in Camden, Arkansas, to address the local racial divide.
    2. Exploring opportunities for reconciliation in Elaine, Arkansas, through meetings with local residents.
    3. Consistently including people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds as a part of its program planning and implementation.

6. Recommendation - The Institute should educate the community about unconscious bias.

    • Follow-up: In community outreach efforts such as the Elaine project and group meetings, we routinely:
    1. Educate participants on continuing bias that may not be intentional but intuitive.
    2. Define racism, and share information and research to promote healing and understanding.

To see the list of recommendations in development, go to Part 2 – Developmental Stage.

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