Facilitating Interracial Dialogues About Race

Facilitating Interracial Dialogues About Race presents an exploration into the lived experiences of people in organizations conducting interracial dialogues on race. Utilizing focus groups, interviews, and other primary materials, the book highlights facilitators’ voices to examine the processes and challenges involved in holding these essential conversations within a sociopolitical climate fueled by racial disparities and reckonings.

The first part of the book examines the dynamics of interracial co-facilitation, and the roles of facilitators and Circle keepers, in building a “container” for such dialogues. Facilitators discuss the conditions necessary for fruitful discussions that aim to balance power dynamics and invite more honesty and curiosity. The second part reveals specific communication practices, such as engaged listening and grounding, which play pivotal roles in the efficacy of these dialogues and can be applied to intergroup communication more broadly. They work together to help people focus on our shared humanity while understanding important differences in life experience.

Facilitating Interracial Dialogues About Race is ideal for coursework related to group and interpersonal communication studies, race relations, social work, and diversity training programs. Its content serves as both a research compendium and a practical guide for scholars, practitioners, students at undergraduate and graduate levels, and all those seeking to better engage in, understand, and facilitate interracial discussions on race.