Understanding differences; Acting on commonalities


   

Congressional Conversations on Race (CCR)

Rep. Barbara Lee C.T. Vivian

Representative Barbara Lee, Paul Cobb, publisher of The Oakland Post and Rev. C.T. Vivian in Oakland, CA.

A program of The Faith & Politics Institute and Search for Common Ground, Congressional Conversations on Race provides support to Members of Congress to constructively address race-related challenges in their districts. Acknowledging that many Members do want to provide leadership around racial reconciliation but do not often have the resources or platform to do so, CCR supports Members by providing and holding constructive spaces for discussing difficult issues at the district level.

For detailed information about our programs, please click here.

Key Components of a CCR Process: While every Congressional district is unique, the CCR process always includes the following:

  • A review of the history to understand the factors that may still contribute to current-day barriers to racial reconciliation. Without fully understanding and embracing the past, it is difficult or impossible to make progress into the future.

  • The CCR process always involves experiential ways of understanding history and current issues. By touring historic sites, interacting with community members, or bearing witness to current racial conflict, participants are able to encode the process in a deeply meaningful manner.

  • Ultimately, the greatest value in a CCR process comes from a carefully structured and professionally facilitated conversation, designed to invite authentic sharing and creative input towards identifying what's possible in terms of racial healing in a given district. Rather than a debate, the conversation is a highly generative, collaborative experience.

As the founding place of the Black Panther Party and a racially diverse community, Oakland California was the ideal place for the inaugural Congressional Conversation on Race. The conversation included an historical tour of Oakland, focusing primarily on sites that impacted race relations in California and across the country. Local leaders and community stakeholders then participated in moderated discussions designed to catalyze a community response to persistent race-related problems. Through a facilitated discussion, a diverse group of joined school officials, representatives from local government, civil rights leaders, labor leaders and police to tackle issues in education, law enforcement and policing, employment, and youth violence.

Karen Bohlke, program director of the MLK Freedom Center in Oakland believes that
"The Congressional Discussions on Race brought together some key players who have not been in the same room with such dedicated discussion before."

This first Congressional Conversation on Race serves as a model of how other members of Congress can bring together their communities to constructively discuss the impact of racial discrimination, unfair policies, and hate in a collaborative process that honors the experiences of the past, envisions actions that create a stronger future, and comes up with solutions. Learn more about CCR and how you can get involved.

Congressional Conversations on Race have been held in the following congressional districts:

  • Saint Louis, MO - September 2012 - Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay

  • New Orleans, LA - April 2012 - Rep. Cedric Richmond   (Rep. Richmond was interviewed about the challenges of dealing with race in New Orleans.  Listen to the interview here.)

  • Rocky Mount, NC - January 2012 - Rep. G.K. Butterfield

  • Oakland, CA - October 2011 - Rep. Barbara Lee