DECATUR, Ill. – Noted psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum took the stage at Millikin University’s Albert Taylor Theatre on Wednesday, February 26, for the Spring 2025 Thomas W. Ewing Lecture, sharing her message about the importance of embracing discussions about race and identifying the struggles that many have in the United States to engage in that conversation.
Tatum is the author of the New York Times best-selling book, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About Race” as well as “Can We Talk About Race? and Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation.” Her presentation for the Ewing Lecture was titled “Closing the Gap: Embracing Cross-Racial Dialogue."
During the talk, Tatum shared that many white people listen to discussions on racial topics but are often uncomfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences. Tatum polled the audience, asking if they had experienced a racially centered event as a child and if they were able to speak about it with an adult afterward. A portion of the audience hadn’t had a follow-up conversation, and Tatum argued that not having those conversations strengthens the idea that some racial topics are not for some people.
“I've had many conversations about race; I do it professionally. If I'm conversing with someone who's never done it, we are not operating on the same level. It may feel like it's not a peer-to-peer conversation, but it might feel more like a teacher and a learner,” Tatum said. “I have a friend who has an expression that I love: There's a teacher and a learner in every student. Meaning we all have something to teach, and we all have something to learn. Even if I'm talking to someone who hasn't had as much practice as me, I still have something to learn from that person.
“Sometimes, white people in cross-racial dialogues think they don't have anything to share, and they enter into that conversation only wanting to listen. From the point of view of the students of color, if we're talking about a topic that is important to me as a student of color, and the white students in my class are not saying anything, that makes me feel like they don't care and aren't interested. We all have to be participants.”
Tatum served as President of Spelman College from 2002 to 2015, and her upcoming book to be released September 2, “Peril and Promise: College Leadership in Turbulent Times,” delves into the challenges that higher education faces while also acknowledging that colleges also provide the solutions to the divisions that disrupt our society.
“There are many challenging conversations. Right now, many people say that our society feels highly polarized. But even in a highly polarized society, people are willing to say, you might have voted for somebody different than me, but I'm willing to spend the next 15 weeks meeting (in a class) with you and others to listen and share,” Tatum said. “At the beginning, people are excited. You are learning something you didn't know before. Maybe a particular conversation was hard, but it's too late to drop the class, so you have to come back. The next time, it's not so bad, but after a certain point, you will begin to get sick of this subject. You don't want to talk about it anymore. It just makes you feel uncomfortable.
“That's what I'm calling the "Argument of Discomfort." If you weren't required to attend, you would abandon it at that point. But if you stick with it, you start having fun. People will say, I was trying not to, but I loved those conversations. I felt like I got to know someone. You get to the point where you're able to talk about it in the company of people you've come to trust because you've been sitting with them for several weeks. They've learned some things about you, and you've learned some things about them. It gets easier, and then it becomes energetic.”
About the Thomas W. Ewing Lectureship
The Thomas W. Ewing Lectureship was created by Millikin and Congressman Ewing’s colleagues in recognition of his many years of public service. Ewing, a 1957 Millikin graduate, retired in 2001 after serving nine years in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 15th District of Illinois. The lectures focus on public policy and service, and visiting lecturers are selected based on their prominence in those fields and ability to inspire others to serve.
