Panel discussion on inclusion and racism in quizbowl (video up now!)
Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2021 4:14 pm
PACE, IAC, ACF, and NAQT are organizing a panel discussion in early March, focusing on issues of systemic underrepresentation and racism in the quizbowl community. The meeting will run as a Zoom webinar, with a moderator asking invited speakers to address questions collected in advance. There will also be opportunities for people in the audience to pose questions and suggestions for discussion by the panel. We plan to record the discussion and make the recording available for anyone interested.
We aim to provide a platform for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices to discuss the state of quizbowl, share their experiences, and raise awareness among community members and leaders. Most of all, we hope to spark community action during and after the event. While we want to talk about the problems that face underrepresented quizbowlers, we do not want to force anyone to share personal stories in the name of convincing majority quizbowlers that problems exist. We hope that our audience already knows this fact and wants to know more about how to combat these problems.
We are soliciting applications for panelists to speak about their experiences, and for a moderator to facilitate the conversation. The application for both roles is available here. Applications will be accepted through Saturday, February 6, 2021.
What we’re looking for in the panelists:
-Approximately 4 panelists from demographics that are under-represented in the quizbowl community.
-A wide range of ages and roles in the quizbowl community. We would like the panel to be composed of people from a diversity of experiences and backgrounds, so we are welcoming applications from all levels (middle school, high school, college, post-college) of the quizbowl community.
-A conversation about past experiences, possibilities for present action, and how to shape the future of quizbowl.
What we’re not looking for in the panelists:
-For any one panelist to represent any entire demographic. We are all individuals.
-For any one panelist to represent an entire organization (unless you and your org want you to!)
-While panelists are more than welcome to share negative experiences, we do not want anyone to feel forced to relive or retell them publicly if they do not wish to do so.
What we’re looking for in a moderator:
-A person who wants to help our panelists shine.
-Someone who has confidence and experience with politely interrupting people who are taking up too much time.
-Awareness of how people of certain demographics are raised to speak up more or less and a willingness to combat these trends.
What we’re not looking for in a moderator:
-We do not need the moderator to prepare all questions; the panelists and organizing committee will help to gather and create questions that will then be delivered by the moderator.
-Someone who would rather be sharing their own ideas and experiences; if this describes you, we’d love you as a panelist instead!
We are currently working through the details, but we will most likely be able to offer a small honorarium to the panelists and moderator.
Once the panel has been recruited, we hope to meet and allow the panelists to shape the event and the questions in a way that will lead them to have fulfilling, respectful, and comfortable conversations.
The panel will last no longer than 2 hours, and panelists will be asked to meet either one or two times prior to the panel itself to prepare and rehearse.
Questions will be solicited from the community beforehand, and we want to offer panelists the chance to craft their own or select questions from the community that interest them the most. If panelists prefer, they could do a minimum of work before the panel (most likely one meeting the week before to test technological resources). We want to leave this decision to the panelists in order to respect their time and labor.
If you have any questions or comments about this project, please contact me, or any of the members of the organizing committee:
Jeff Hoppes, NAQT
Athena Kern, PACE
Moses Kitakule, PACE
Caroline Mao, ACF
Olivia Murton, ACF
Arthur Ramsay, IAC
Seth Teitler, NAQT
We aim to provide a platform for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices to discuss the state of quizbowl, share their experiences, and raise awareness among community members and leaders. Most of all, we hope to spark community action during and after the event. While we want to talk about the problems that face underrepresented quizbowlers, we do not want to force anyone to share personal stories in the name of convincing majority quizbowlers that problems exist. We hope that our audience already knows this fact and wants to know more about how to combat these problems.
We are soliciting applications for panelists to speak about their experiences, and for a moderator to facilitate the conversation. The application for both roles is available here. Applications will be accepted through Saturday, February 6, 2021.
What we’re looking for in the panelists:
-Approximately 4 panelists from demographics that are under-represented in the quizbowl community.
-A wide range of ages and roles in the quizbowl community. We would like the panel to be composed of people from a diversity of experiences and backgrounds, so we are welcoming applications from all levels (middle school, high school, college, post-college) of the quizbowl community.
-A conversation about past experiences, possibilities for present action, and how to shape the future of quizbowl.
What we’re not looking for in the panelists:
-For any one panelist to represent any entire demographic. We are all individuals.
-For any one panelist to represent an entire organization (unless you and your org want you to!)
-While panelists are more than welcome to share negative experiences, we do not want anyone to feel forced to relive or retell them publicly if they do not wish to do so.
What we’re looking for in a moderator:
-A person who wants to help our panelists shine.
-Someone who has confidence and experience with politely interrupting people who are taking up too much time.
-Awareness of how people of certain demographics are raised to speak up more or less and a willingness to combat these trends.
What we’re not looking for in a moderator:
-We do not need the moderator to prepare all questions; the panelists and organizing committee will help to gather and create questions that will then be delivered by the moderator.
-Someone who would rather be sharing their own ideas and experiences; if this describes you, we’d love you as a panelist instead!
We are currently working through the details, but we will most likely be able to offer a small honorarium to the panelists and moderator.
Once the panel has been recruited, we hope to meet and allow the panelists to shape the event and the questions in a way that will lead them to have fulfilling, respectful, and comfortable conversations.
The panel will last no longer than 2 hours, and panelists will be asked to meet either one or two times prior to the panel itself to prepare and rehearse.
Questions will be solicited from the community beforehand, and we want to offer panelists the chance to craft their own or select questions from the community that interest them the most. If panelists prefer, they could do a minimum of work before the panel (most likely one meeting the week before to test technological resources). We want to leave this decision to the panelists in order to respect their time and labor.
If you have any questions or comments about this project, please contact me, or any of the members of the organizing committee:
Jeff Hoppes, NAQT
Athena Kern, PACE
Moses Kitakule, PACE
Caroline Mao, ACF
Olivia Murton, ACF
Arthur Ramsay, IAC
Seth Teitler, NAQT