We need the courage to come together and overcome the wall of silence that surrounds issues of race in today’s America. On the other hand we also need the awareness and the knowledge to enable us to respond to a society where divisive debate leads to increased separation. We’ve got to actively choose to grow the skills to truly see and hear each other so we may begin to build bridges of unity.
We need to learn how to co-create safe spaces where constructive interracial dialogue can naturally unfold. For this reason, creating norms and guidelines with each group is key before entering group conversations.
The principal characters of American Textures modeled the potential of taking risks in dialogue and portrayed the benefits of understanding that grows from opening up, active listening and authentic sharing. This blueprint can help to encourage participants to recognize their own natural abilities for initiating dialogues that help grow a society in which all people can feel safe, no matter what skin color they have!
We cannot all be experts in race relations to support this process. But what we can do is invest our willingness to learn, to be vulnerable and to discover personal blind-spots. We can consciously commit to check our own intentions and help create safe spaces in which constructive dialogues on race can unfold.
Yes we may make mistakes when exploring painful issues, but if we are prepared to recognize and take responsibility for our shortcomings, then they do not have to mark the end of the dialogue. On the contrary, they can become indicators of the thresholds where we start to grow deeper understanding, interconnectedness and forgiveness.
Explore constructive dialogue further on our pages Initiating Interracial Dialogue and Conflict Transformation. Our film American Textures applies intercultural and conflict mediation skills to intergroup dialogue. View the short trailer below.