250 RACE AGAINST TIME “Race Against Time” became the first annual Communication Department Read. Since fall 2016, Harding University had a campus-wide book that all students were encouraged to read, dubbed the “Harding read.” It became the theme for the year and various chapels. In fall 2020, the Department of Communication announced their own read, “Race Against Time” by Jerry Mitchell. The book captured the stories of four civil rights era cold cases and how KKK members were brought to justice. Having “Race Against Time” as the department read provided Harding’s Communication Department the opportunity to speak up about injustices in their community and beyond. “I love teaching in this department because we get to teach theories, in a spiritual context, behind the daily practices of people in all walks of communication,” Associate Professor and Chair of the Communication Department Laurie Diles said. “I read ‘Race Against Time’ this past summer, and was totally on board when Dr. Jack Shock, Dr. Jim Miller, Mrs. April Fatula and other faculty members suggested having a department read.” The department’s theme in 2020 was “Community.” “This community is my favorite thing about working at Harding,” said Distinguished Professor of Communication Jack Shock. “Since Jerry’s book came out earlier this year, I knew that I wanted to use his text as the first ever Department of Communication read. Jerry’s book addresses everything we hold dear. Justice. Peace. Reconciliation. Our goal in the Department of Communication is to allow these principles to guide our inquiry.” On Sept. 8th, the Communication Department invited Mitchell and Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of civil rights activist Medger Evers, to visit campus and lecture exclusively to Communication students about their department read. They both pulled from their experiences and material from the book to emphasize how important it is for students to find their voice. “The more you can write with authority as opposed to guesswork, the more authentic you will be,” Mitchell said. Evers-Everette’s connection to the book through her father brought the conversation to a new level. “How do you own a positive engagement in humanity?” she asked. “You become uncomfortable.” Later that night, Mitchell spoke at the American Studies Institute Distinguished Lecture Series where he was given an Honorary Doctorate of Law by University President Bruce McLarty. “I hope ‘Race Against Time’ outrages students and inspires them,” Mitchell said. “Despite the passage of time, these families kept fighting for justice; they never gave up. I hope that the younger generations can learn the horrors of the past so that our nation never must see a repeat of such hate, such vitriol and such violence. I hope that younger generations can lead us to a brighter future because we are willing to love our neighbor as ourselves, to love and care for the least of these.” story by Madison Meeks and Zach Bishop Jerry Mitchell’s “Race Against Time,” the department read for Communication students, is displayed in front of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Music and Communication on Sept. 30, 2020. The book encouraged Harding’s Communication students to initiate hard conversations about race, justice and truth. | photo by Madison Meyers READING ABOUT RACE
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==