123 Book Meme

Laura Purdie Salas tagged me for the Nearest Book Meme. These were the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

I usually have a stack of books near my elbow, but this is the one I am thinking about even when it's not open: Can We Talk About Race? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D. She's the president of Spelman College and has also written Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Page 123, the fifth sentence and the three following:

"These were the students who initiated dialogue groups on campus, brought a multicultural perspective to their student organizations, and began to expand their own horizons by seeking out friendship networks more diverse than those they had before taking the course, and still had two more years to practice those skills before they moved on to the next phase of their lives. Courses that actively encourage cross-group dialogue can be very useful, but they need to happen early in the young person's college experience for maximum benefit. A great example of a first-year seminar that affirms identity, builds community, and cultivates leadership is the African Diaspora and the World (ADW) course at Spelman. Established in 1992 as a writing-intensive seminar required for all first-year students, its creation was a faculty-directed effort to re-imagine the World Civilization (History) and World Literature (English) core course requirements in ways that would (1) place the African Diaspora at the center of the student's socio-historical, literary, and cultural studies; (2) reflect the shifting demographics of the United States and the world; and (3) prepare Spelman women for a new era of diversity and global interaction."

This sentence is in the heart of the chapter called, "What Kind of Friendship is That?: The Search for Authenticity, Mutuality, and Social Transformation in Cross-Racial Relationships." Fascinating stuff! I'm tagging five bloggers that I would love to sit down with to discuss this book:
Los Angelista,
Lone Star Ma
But Wait, There's More
boomerific
Growing Family

What are you reading?