When you name your project “The [insert word here] Monologues,” even if what you are doing is far removed from what Eve Ensler did in The Vagina Monologues, expectations are pretty high. Sarah French Brennan and Aditi Fruitwala, the two main researchers for the anthropology project The Race Monologues, are living up to the name so far. They started collecting oral histories about people’s experiences with race and racism issues in America for a college class project and are now going through all the recordings they have collected from all parts of the country in order to put together a book and a play.
Speaking to Sarah and Aditi was a real eye-opener. The way people define race and experience it is never the same but those experiences are essential formative steps in our lives. Having done the exercise on myself, I can tell you that asking yourself “What is your personal experience with race and racism in America” can yield to very interesting results. Should you wish to share your thoughts following that little bit of introspection, Sarah and Aditi are still conducting interviews.
If you want more information on the Race Monologues or want to contact tonight’s guests, you can go to their website, www.racemonologues.com.
Special thanks to Katerina Hendershot who wrote about the Race Monologues for one of her classes, Race and Family Stories in US History, and was a great help in preparing the questions for this interview.
CITYWIDE 