The SPHERE Consortium hosted a panel discussion titled, Truth Talk: Creating a New Normal to explore with students and educators from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg College, USF St. Petersburg and Stetson College of Law how the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying nationwide civil unrest of the last two years revealed deep racial inequities that still exist in our society. The event explored how there was never a “normal” for people of color and how society has to restructure to offer proper space for people of color to recover mentally, financially, physically. Panelists explored how we can move forward to create a new sense of normalcy for people of color that does not go backward to a pre-pandemic world. Truth Talk: Creating a New Normal provided the space to cultivate community, while providing some understanding and insight on how we move forward as a community.
