Local Unitarian Universalists examine 'Race, Class, and Fingerpointing After the 2016 Election' on Sunday

Denison -- This Sunday the Morning Assembly at Red River Unitarian Universalist Church will welcome Dr. Michael Phillips, professor of history at Collin College. Phillips will describe how Trump’s supporters, to a surprising degree, were financially well-off and relatively well-educated and how, in the wake of the 2016 election, working-class whites for many became the scapegoats for the rise of Donald Trump.

Since last November, working class voters have been stereotyped as racists. He will also explore the significance of upper-income white supremacists like Richard Spencer, who grew up in Dallas, in American history and how the reaction of some supposed liberals to Trump’s election reveals the modern Democratic Party’s discomfort with class politics. He will conclude with some suggestions regarding effective responses to the Trump phenomena.

Phillips grew up in the Metroplex, holds a degree in journalism from UT Arlington and earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of White Metropolis - Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Dallas, 1841-2001. The book is the first history of race relations in Dallas from its founding until the twenty-first century.

The 11:15 AM program will include a question and answer segment and the public is invited to attend. Copies of his book will be available for purchase. Red River Unitarian Universalist Church, 515 North Burnett Avenue in Denison, offers Sunday morning programs that address current issues as part of their individuals sojourn to grown their soul and serve the world.