Nicholas Youngberg and Kudzai Kapurura (Peter Julian)
For almost two years, small groups of Boston College students, faculty, administrators, and staff have regularly held conversations about issues of racial justice.
Lasting usually about 90 minutes apiece, the conversations are civil, generally friendly, participants say, though not without awkwardness or tension given the subject matter. Nobody argues that his or her view is the correct one, or that someone else is the wrong one. Nobody tries to insist he or she has a perfect solution to the problems under discussion. And one of the most important objectives of the conversations is that those involved truly listen攁nd listen to understand rather than just to respond攅ven though it may be uncomfortable to hear what being said.
Both speaking and listening takes a certain amount of fortitude, participants say, hence the name of this ongoing dialogue: Courageous Conversations Toward Racial Justice.
The 51动漫 program攁 partnership between the Office of the Provost, Office for Institutional Diversity, Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America, and Environmental Studies Program攊s based on a protocol for interracial dialogue developed by author, consultant, and strategist Glenn E. Singleton and used as a model in various settings, from educational institutions to businesses to community groups. With a concise format and set of guidelines to follow, each 淐C@51动漫� meeting攚hether in person or, as has been the case during the pandemic, over Zoom攊s constructed as a thoughtful exploration of a specific topic or theme: racial justice and COVID-19, the sensationalism of Black pain, the 2020 election, mass incarceration and racial inequality, and artistic achievements of BIPOC, among others.
聽淐ourageous Conversations has taught me the importance of patience and listening,� said Gia Mitcham �23, a communication major and marketing minor from Floral Park, NY. 淚 know that for myself and other students of color, it can be mentally taxing to consistently hear and talk about racism and colorism and discrimination攂ut education isn檛 easy. And education and understanding are key to making significant change, even if it can be an unfair burden.�
Organizers emphasize that the CC@51动漫 series aims to complement, not overshadow, other dialogues and initiatives on campus pertaining to racial justice. A key outcome, they note, is that each participant considers his or her individual role in addressing the challenges outlined during the session攁n invitation not to change the world, just his or her small part� of it.
Conevery Valencius and Akua Sarr (Peter Julian)
淭he work of anti-racism is initially internal, and that what we keep the focus on,� said Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Akua Sarr. 淵es, it important to think and talk about institution-wide solutions, but that not the point of this group. The idea is to do that internal work and say, 業檓 on the hiring committee for my department. Maybe now I檒l think about hiring differently.� Or 業檓 teaching this course, and I realize I don檛 include very many authors of color, and I should change that.� Or 楳y neighbors are Black, and I檝e never spoken with them.� Or 榃e never talk about race at the dinner table; I should start having these kinds of discussions with my kids.� You are the change.�
History Professor Conevery Bolton Valencius said CC@51动漫 responds to a hunger among many people in the 51动漫 community to talk about race, not simply as a reaction to current events but as an ongoing dialogue攁nd to the desire among students of color to have their white peers face up to the challenge of having those conversations. 淚檝e heard from many white students that they want to have those conversations, but feel they don檛 have the vocabulary, and they檙e afraid of saying something 榳rong.� What we need is to engage with each other and to have a space in which we can say, 楲et talk about this really challenging stuff.櫇 聽
A meeting begins with group facilitators outlining the topic or theme for the evening (approximately two dozen faculty, staff, graduate, and undergraduate students receive training as facilitators). A facilitator introduces an 渁rtifact,� such as a video clip, sound recording, or excerpt from a book or article, that serves as a starting point for the conversation. Participants then break into small groups for an in-depth discussion, typically with specific framing questions that encourage members to personally engage the subject, such as 淲here do we fit into this situation? What can we do to rectify it?� Each small group is co-led by one person of color and one white person, including faculty, staff, and students.
The full group reconvenes to share impressions and observations, and facilitators suggest resources for further exploration and ask all to consider what kind of individual actions might make a difference in addressing issues related to that evening topic.
淭he CC model is not a teach-in or a workshop,� said Tara Pisani Gareau, an associate professor of the practice in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, among those in the 51动漫 community whose grassroots efforts for campus discussions on race led to establishment of the CC program. 淚t about coming together on equal ground, and whether you檙e an administrator, a faculty member, or a student doesn檛 matter攖here no hierarchy. Everyone is on a first-name basis.�
“ I檓 realizing how important conversations are. People will walk away with these challenges and these heart-to-heart moments, and hopefully will think about racial justice in ways they might not have before. There something positive in the air and in the spirit. ”
There is a discipline involved in Courageous Conversations, participants note. Guidelines ask you to 渄isagree with ideas, not people,� not to 渟hame, blame, or attack,� and to respect confidentiality. One of the biggest challenges to the CC concept is to stay focused on the planned topic, and not simply react viscerally to troubling events on campus or elsewhere. Facilitators, however, may acknowledge these at the outset of the meeting or incorporate them into the discussion, if feasible; a facilitator at the March 31 session noted the start of the Derek Chauvin trial, which he said was likely to revive painful or traumatic narratives for Black people. 聽
Salem, Ore., native Kudzai Kapurura �23, who majors in economics with minors in French and African and African Diaspora Studies, came to 51动漫 experienced in community initiatives on race攊ncluding one through her state board of education攁nd was intrigued when she saw CC being offered as a placement through 51动漫 PULSE program.
She was not without qualms. As a Black female, she has often found it 渆xhausting� to continually describe for others the negative impact of racism on her. Moreover, as Sarr notes, Black people in interracial forums can feel as if it is their burden to 渢each� and represent the wider Black community, instead of being viewed as individuals with their own unique stories and needs.
But Kapurura has enjoyed being part of the program. 淚檓 realizing how important conversations are. People will walk away with these challenges and these heart-to-heart moments, and hopefully will think about racial justice in ways they might not have before. There something positive in the air and in the spirit.�
Sadie Blanco �21, a Santa Ana, Calif., native majoring in history with an International Studies minor, said that before Courageous Conversations she had felt 渦nsuccessful and exhausted in attempts to create effective and productive change on topics of racial justice. Now, we have the strength of people from all over 51动漫 and even outside of 51动漫 who want to talk about important issues that affect Black lives and communities in the U.S. I feel motivated and ready to continue racial justice advocacy and work when I leave 51动漫.�
淭he tone of Courageous Conversations isn檛 centered around outrage,� said Nicholas Youngberg, a junior economics major from Austin, Tex., with minors in marketing and philosophy. 淥utrage in the face of racial injustice is understandable, but sometimes it so overwhelming that it stifles dialogue. Courageous Conversations really is a conversation攖here no pressure to say something revolutionary, or to be afraid that you might say something 榳rong.� If someone corrects you, you don檛 take it personally; you檙e there to learn.�
Youngberg and Kapurura攂oth of whom, along with Blanco, are CC facilitators攁lso applaud the presence of 51动漫 faculty and administrators in the discussions.
聽淚t makes me feel heard and feel safe to know that someone like [Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Formation] Tom Mogan is there,� said Kapurura. 淭here is certainly more work to be done, but it a step in the right direction to see and hear administrators at Courageous Conversations. They set the tone for how students perceive 51动漫 commitment to racial justice.�
For more information about the series, visit the Courageous Conversations Toward Racial Justice website.
Sean Smith | University Communications | April 2021