Employees delve into slavery and Wall Street in book group

W. P. Carey partners with the ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy for fall Social Cohesion Dialogue.

In a new chapter of their ongoing partnership, the W. P. Carey School of Business Council for Inclusive Excellence teamed up with the ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) on the center's 2023 Social Cohesion Dialogue (SCD).

The SCD puts acclaimed authors and their inspiring books in conversation with ASU and audiences across and beyond Arizona. Each year, two books that delve into histories and experiences related to race are chosen for deeper exploration, culminating in book discussion groups and a final event that puts the two authors in conversation.

"We've had an ongoing educational partnership with the CSRD for several years. It seemed like a natural progression of that partnership to host an SCD book discussion for our W. P. Carey faculty and staff, especially when one of this year's books was so relevant to the business school," said Dan Gruber, associate dean for teaching and learning at W. P. Carey.

Working with Lois Brown, professor and director of the CSRD, W. P. Carey took a deep dive into The Kidnapping Club: Wall Street, Slavery and Resistance on the Eve of the Civil War by Jonathan Daniel Wells. The non-fiction tome grapples with the role of slavery in the fledgling American economy, even in northern New York City, and it focuses attention on unsung abolitionist heroes in the city.

"This book provided an invaluable opportunity for the CSRD and W. P. Carey to co-create a meaningful and vital discussion," said Brown. "The SCD creates spaces for compelling conversations about topics that reveal who we are as a nation. The connection between enslavement and business is one such topic that W. P. Carey has shown a real openness to exploring together."

Participating W. P. Carey employees read the book independently before coming together for a 90-minute discussion group. Brown worked alongside W. P. Carey discussion facilitators Emily Beach, director of communications, Stacey Lippert, assistant dean for graduate programs, and Gruber to create a special discussion guide for the group.

Like the public discussion groups, the session started with questions about readers' reactions or feelings about the book, explored key themes, and asked participants to share how their perspectives might have changed. Further into the discussion, the group explored how the book could inform their teaching or other engagement with students and the W. P. Carey community.

"We are always looking for opportunities to engage W. P. Carey employees and students in discussions that think critically and engage actively in global challenges," said Lippert. "The Kidnapping Club was incredibly informative and helped us start important discussions about current business topics like ethics and social impact."

One participant shared, "Listening and learning to authors voices and accounts that were never shared or allowed to be taught in the educational system of my time is imperative to the work I must continue to do and share wherever I can."

In addition to the partnership with the SCD, W. P. Carey has worked alongside the CSRD on several inclusive teaching workshops, a session exploring the history of race and business in Arizona, and a field trip to the "Banking While Black" exhibit that visited ASU in 2022.

"We just really value this incredible partnership between W. P. Carey and the CSRD. I'm excited to see ways we can continue to inspire inclusive excellence across our communities and the university," said Gruber.

Top photo from left: Jennifer Mareiro, Director of Human Resources; Emily Beach, Director of Communications; Dan Gruber, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning; Lois Brown, Director of the CSRD. Photo by Ivan Martinez Photography.

Bottom photo from left: Dan Gruber, Emily Beach, Stacey Lippert, Nyomi Gruber, Manjira Datta, Karla Pace, and Jose Mendez.