Heart to Heart - Talking about Race

Conversation Overview

Join Cheri Gurse and Sojourner Kincaid Rolle for a Heart to Heart talk about race.

Cheri Gurse earned both her BA in Linguistics (1976) and MA in Confluent Education (1991) at UCSB, and a PhD in Human Development with a concentration in Transformative Learning for Social Justice from Fielding Graduate University in 2013. Cheri’s longtime commitment to justice especially manifests as helping individuals to welcome, include, listen to, and connect with others across difference. As an educator, advocate, mentor, and activist, she has partnered with many around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, non-violence, and kindness, and helped myriad individuals and groups overcome fears and expand their skills about communicating and deepening their connections to people who hold opposing perspectives on difficult topics. Some of Cheri’s collaborations in higher ed include Whiteness, Identity, and Power: Developing Critical Consciousness and Competencies for Social Justice; Exploring Community Between White Women and Women of Color; and Being a Part of LGBTQ+ History. From 1977-1994, she led UCSB’s efforts to establish the first feminist rape prevention education program in higher education; she now teaches sociology and psychology to AUSB undergraduates; works with white people to first, learn, and second, to build an anti-racist life; and with longtime friend Sojourner, creating multicultural, multiracial space to talk about race.

During the last three decades, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle has shared her experience, creative ideas, and unique skill set with all segments of the Santa Barbara community, including two years as Santa Barbara’s Poet Laureate. Her current work includes original poetry readings and workshops, diversity and cultural awareness, group facilitations, and community education projects. Sojourner has a rich employment history that began with advocacy work in North Carolina. After a Criminal Justice degree from UNC-Charlotte with an emphasis in Juvenile Delinquency, she attended law school at UC-Berkeley honing her interest in youth advocacy and civil rights. For 20 years in SB, Sojourner worked in the areas of conflict resolution, mediation and group facilitation with teens and adults. She served on the SB County Arts Commission and a number of state and local boards and committees, and as Community Outreach Coordinator for the UCSB Center for Black Studies Research. She is a longtime Board Member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee. Sojourner has authored seven books of poetry and six plays and has taught creative writing through a host of community programs. With her longtime friend Cheri, she helps bring people together for impactful conversations about race.