Engaging in Difficult Dialogues about Race and Racism - Dr. Stephen John Quaye

Racism continues to be a pervasive issue affecting the relationships between people of color and white people. Often, white people are afraid to engage honestly about racial issues because they are worried about saying the wrong thing, messing up, being seen as ignorant, or worse, as racist. This fear often results in white people being silent in racial dialogues, shutting down, or becoming defensive. People of color, on the other hand, are exhausted from their continued exposure to racism and are often frustrated by their white colleagues’ silence on racial matters and inability or unwillingness to address racism directly. The purpose of this session is to understand how dialogic skills can enable people of color and white people to engage in healthier cross-racial dialogues.