“Facing the Challenge of
Racism and Race Relations”

Spring/Summer 2008

These inter-racial study circles will meet once a week for five weeks on a day and time to be chosen by the participants. Each study circle will be facilitated by professional trained
and experienced group facilitators.

Suggested registration: $50.00. Scholarships available

Co-Sponsored by
The Catholic Parishes in Waterloo
and New City Ministries

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What Is a ‘Study Circle’?

Study circles have been described as “small-group, democratic, highly participatory discussions that give everyday people opportunities to make a difference in their communities.”(1) In a study circle participants who begin as strangers get to know one another, consider different points of view, explore disagreements about important issues, and discover common ground. Through the study circle experience, people living together in the same community learn to understand each other better and to work together for the common good of the whole community.

Why a Study Circle on Race?

“Race is a central issue in our nation and our communities. Even when we don't give voice to it, it is present -- critical but unspoken.
“When we do talk about it, it is often at times of crisis, when racial divisions become apparent or racial tensions turn to violence. There are times of national awareness -- the violence in Los Angeles in 1992, or the tensions following the O.J. Simpson verdict -- when the country's problems with race transfix all of us. But when the tensions fade from view, our public recognition of race seems to go back into hiding, and we wonder if anything has changed at all....
“[Q]uestions of racism and race relations touch us every day, in personal ways. Race affects where we live, where we walk, where we shop, the jobs we hold, and how we are educated. In workplaces, schools, and houses of worship, racial and ethnic divisions persist. Misperceptions, stereotyping, fear and distrust exist in every ethnic group toward members of other ethnic groups.

“Race also has a great impact on our public life. In our communities, racial and ethnic divisions prevent us from working together on pressing common concerns such as education, jobs, and crime....
“While almost everyone acknowledges that we have moved forward as a result of the civil rights movement, many people are concerned that progress has stalled. Others fear that we are actually losing ground.
“Though our perspectives vary, problems with race relations still loom large for our country. These problems are complex, defying simple definitions or quick solutions. All of us -- from every ethnic and racial background -- have had experiences that give us unique understandings of race and its impact on our personal and public lives....”(1)

How Does a Study Circle Work?

Every study circle is led by professionally trained and experienced facilitators. Whenever possible, these facilitators represent different racial groups and genders.
Each time the study circle meets, the facilitators will introduce the theme for the session and present questions for reflection and discussion. The questions are designed to help participants identify and discuss their own experiences, convictions, and opinions. In some sessions, participants will be asked to discuss a variety of real-life examples; in others, they will be asked to consider a variety of real-life viewpoints and select one which best represents their own.

Racial issues are very public, communal issues; at the same time, they are very personal and private. An honest discussion of racial issues will include the emotional component which necessarily accompanies very personal and controversial issues.
It is the primary responsibility of the facilitators, and a secondary responsibility of each participant, to insure that every discussion is conducted in a safe, respectful, constructive -- and confidential -- atmosphere. (See the Guidelines and Expectations for Study Group Participants below.)

What Will We Learn in the Study Circle?

The Study Circles on Racism and Race Relations are designed to help participants do four things:
• Identify their own experiences, concerns, opinions and fears -- some of which may lie buried or unacknowledged due to denial, guilt, or ignorance.
• Respectfully hear other participants' experiences, concerns, opinions and fears.
In this way, participants in the study circle come to better understand and appreciate one another, rethink stereotypes, correct misperceptions, and build positive, trusting relationships.
• Consider a wide variety of views.
In this way, study circle participants can grapple with the many sides of race as a public problem, appreciate the complexity of racial issues, understand disagreements, and search for common concerns.
• Explore practical actions and strategies for personal and community action.
Through respectful, constructive dialogue, study circle participants develop new attitudes, new networks, and new ideas for both personal and group action which enable them to address the persistent and challenging issues surrounding race relations in our personal relationships, families, communities, and nation.

During the five weeks of the Study Circle on Racism and Race Relations, participants will explore the following themes:
Session One -- Experiences, Perceptions and Beliefs
Session Two -- What Is the Nature of the Race Problem?
Session Three -- What Should We Do?
Session Four -- What Public Policies Will Help Us Deal with Race Relations?
Session Five -- How Can We Move from Words to Actions?

(1) Quotations taken from The Busy Citizen’s Discussion Guide: Facing the Challenge of Racism and Race Relations (3rd Edition). Copyright 1997, Topsfield Foundation, Inc.

Guidelines and Expectations for Participants

• Discussion in a study circle focuses on each participant's personal experience, insights and opinions. Speak for yourself and from your own experience.
• Refrain from remarks that are overly abstract, philosophical, or theoretical. It is helpful to use statements like “I believe...,” or “It seems to me...”. Try introducing your remarks with phrases such as “My assumption is...” or “My experience has been....”
• Think before speaking, and be as concise as possible. Make one point, or relate one experience at a time, then stop and allow others to do the same.
• Avoid comments which generalize about groups of people.
• Listen carefully and respectfully to other persons in the group. Accept the other person’s experience, opinions and feelings without trying to interpret, explain, refute or defend them.
• Allow for periods of silence during the discussion. At times, the group may need to stop talking so people can get in touch with their feelings and ideas. Resist the urge to speak just to fill an uncomfortable silence.
• Be patient with yourself and with others. Simply speaking to the theme or idea from your own experience or perspective takes some practice.
• Trust the group. Observe how different ideas, experiences, assumptions, attitudes and feelings contribute to a rich and diverse human community.
• Remember that the experiences, opinions, and insights which a person shares are a part of that unique individual person, but not the sum total of who that person is. Nor do that person’s experiences, opinions or insights necessarily represent the experiences, opinions and insights of other people of their race or ethnicity.
• Experiences, opinions and insights shared during the discussion should be treated with confidentiality and should not be repeated, even anonymously, outside the group.

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For more information contact:

Dave Cushing Cheryl Faries
Director of Adult Faith Formation Interim Director of New City Ministries
320 Mulberry Street, Waterloo IA 50703 1621 E. 4th Street, Waterloo IA 50703
Phone: 319-234-9912 Phone: 319-232-0285
Email: <DBQ208s3@dbqarch.org> Email: <ncmfaries@aol.com>