Keynote Speaker

Barbara Major, Author, Deconstructing Racism, A Path towards Lasting Change

Barbara Major – People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond

Barbara is a veteran antiracist community organizer from New Orleans and her family originates from Franklinton,  Louisiana. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology, and a Master’s in Social Work.  She is one of the founding members of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (https://www.pisab.org) and has been for the last 40 years organizing as an antiracist community organizer. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Barbara co-chaired the “Rebuilding New Orleans”  Commission and met with President George W. Bush and his team in an effort to protect local folks’ property from the impending efforts to displace them after that tragic storm.

About the book

In Deconstructing Racism, Barbara and Joe propose the deconstruction of racism’s roots within systems and institutions that have been created, both structurally and legally, to serve white people. The authors propose that the deconstruction of racism must take place through the reconstruction of these systems and institutions.

The authors seek to unmask the complexities of racism and the invisible patterns that keep it in place. There is no quick fix, but they believe racism can be deconstructed and undone. In order to do this, they identify and address race-based identity, history, and cultural issues rooted in current systems.

Three chapters specifically address societal systems and provide anti-racism strategies for community organizers. Three chapters address racism as rooted in systems in the church and challenge people of faith to seek racial healing through understanding, honest confession, true reconciliation, and reconstructed church institutions. A final chapter outlines a way forward to and through a new era of anti-racist reconstruction. This way forward includes a new anti-racist mission statement, a new model of decision-making power, and new processes for accountability.