Authors CAROLYNE ABDULLAH, GWEN WHITING Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
Authors
CAROLYNE ABDULLAH, GWEN WHITING
Coming Together for Racial
Understanding: Training
Guide EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 1 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 1: OPENING SLIDE
INSTRUCTIONS
This session explores one of the two
approaches incorporated into the Coming
together for Racial Understanding effort.
Everyday Democracy has built a legacy of
civil dialogue around difficult issues. In more
recent years, their work has been focused
on racial equity in particular.
TIME: OPENING SLIDE, 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 2 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 2: WHO IS EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
INSTRUCTIONS
Brief overview of Everyday Democracy as an
organization.
https://www.everyday-democracy.org/
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 3 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 3: BELIEFS UNDERGIRDING THIS WORK
INSTRUCTIONS
These two undergirding principles are key
to the approach.
• When all kinds of people have access
to good information and join
together to address common
concerns—sharing knowledge,
resources, power and decision
making as they work—they will
develop solutions which serve the
common good, and lead to healthier,
more equitable communities.
• Envisioning a democracy where all
voices are valued, and where
participation and racial equity become a
permanent part of the way we work as a country at the local, state and national levels.
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 4 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 4: PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGEMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
Review these principles of engagement to
help set the stage for the process.
1. Involve everyone.
2. Embrace diversity, practice equity
throughout.
3. Share knowledge, resources, power &
decision making.
4. Connect dialogue & deliberation
5. Connect dialogue to social, political, &
policy change.
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 5 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 5: HOW EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY WORKS
INSTRUCTIONS
This slide provides a synthesis of the ways in
which Everyday Democracy works with
communities.
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE.
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 6 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 6: FIELD APPROACH CYCLE
INSTRUCTIONS
The Field Approach follows this cycle:
organize, talk, act, assess, learn, inform,
repeat.
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 7 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 7: A DIALOGUE APPROACH TO COMMUNITY CHANGE
INSTRUCTIONS
This diagram depicts what the dialogue
approach looks like on the ground.
Beginning on the left, communities walk
through an organizing phase that includes
building a coalition, organizing training,
recruiting both participants and facilitators,
and training facilitators. The community is
then ready for a kick-off event that launches
the dialogue process. The dialogues run for
several weeks, and culminates in an Action
Forum which brings all participants back
together. The Action Forum launches the
action phase in which the community takes
collective and individual action to lead to
community change. During this time,
institutional and policy changes may be
addressed. All of this happens through the lens of racial and intergenerational equity.
TIME: 20 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE
HANDOUTS: FOOTBALL FIELD DIAGRAM
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 8 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 8: THE GOAL
INSTRUCTIONS
Ultimately, the goal is not only to support
the efforts of our community change
partners in the specific issue they are
addressing, it is to change the narrative of
the story!
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: NONE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 9 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 9: TOOLS TO SUPPORT DIALOGUE ON RACE
INSTRUCTIONS
During the next segment, participants will
explore these two tools to support the
dialogue process.
Process:
Facilitator introduce guide:
• Explain the layout of the book, page
9
• Sample ground rules, page 11
• Six sessions – each session builds upon
the next session
• Point out the appendices at the end
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 10 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 10: LIST OF ACTIVITIES
INSTRUCTIONS
Provide an overview of the key activities in
each section of the guide:
• Each session builds on the next.
• Begin with relationship building and
understanding our ethnic
backgrounds and the impact of
racism in first two sessions
• Third session talks about why
inequities exist in our country
• Fourth session explores different
perspectives on why inequities exist
• Fifth session looks at the respective
communities and what kinds of
inequities exist and why
• Sixth session examines the why of
inequities and prioritize actions to
address those imbalances at the individual, community and policy levels
TIME: 3 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 11 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 11: SESSION 1, PART 5
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process:
• Guided by a facilitator
• Not necessary to answer all
questions. Some groups prefer to
have a deeper conversation on one
or two of the questions
Debrief:
• How did it feel to take part in the
conversation?
• Did you hear common themes?
TIME: 20 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 12 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 12: SESSION 2 CASE STUDIES
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process:
• Read list of cases
• Choose a few to discuss
Debrief:
• Which cases stand out?
• Why do people act that way?
• Do the same things go on in our
community?
TIME: 15 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 13 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 13: SESSION 2, PART 3
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process: Overview
• These are words people often use
when discussing these issues
• Case studies can be used to talk
about these words
Debrief:
• Words are listed on flip chart
• Group may bring in other definitions
for words at following sessions
• May record key ideas group has about
each word
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 14 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 14: SESSION 3, PART 2
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup:
• Conducted in a large open space
• Participants stand on a horizontal line
shoulder to shoulder (everyone starts
out at the same place in the room).
• If large group, you may have them
form two horizontal lines standing
very close to each other
• Facilitator skilled in group process
and race work
• Facilitator skilled in managing strong
emotions participants may feel and/or express
• Facilitator must be trained in introducing
and debriefing exercise
Process: It is really important to allow enough
time to do Parts A and B, Deeping our understanding of each other. Recognizing it is hard to
know what it is like to walk in another’s shoes
Part A (pg. 18):
• Facilitator will read a series of statements. These statements relate to skin color or
ethnic background. Think about how each statement apply to you. Take one step
back/forward as instructed
• At end of statements, have participants freeze in place and notice where everyone is
standing. Have them turn to 2-3 people who are standing close to them and talk about
how you are feeling.
Debrief:
• As a whole group – What patterns did you notice
• Why did people end up where they are?
• What might this mean for our country; our community?
Part B (pg. 20):
• Everyone forms a large circle
• As Facilitator reads a series of statements, ask participants to take a step forward into
the circle if statement applies to them (mini steps should be taken to allow everyone
room to participate).
Debrief:
• What did you notice about where people ended up in the second part of the activity?
• How does it feel to have gone through this experience?
Note: Opportunities and Challenges (pg. 21) is an optional activity to show how opportunities and
challenges are tied to racial and ethnic groups
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 15 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 15: SESSION 3, PART 3
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process: Quick overview
• Look at data in areas like education,
health and employment that shows
examples of gaps among groups in
our country.
Debrief:
• What are the biggest gaps among
people from different racial or ethnic
groups?
• How do you see these gaps affecting
people in our country?
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 16 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 16: CHARTS ILLUSTRATING GAPS AMONG GROUPS
INSTRUCTIONS
Continue discussion of various charts.
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 17 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 17: SESSION 4, PART 2
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process: Viewpoints in the voice of a
person who thinks it is a very important idea
• Have each viewpoint read (either
aloud or silently).
Debrief:
• Which views come closest to your
own way of thinking?
• Is there anything you don’t agree with?
• Ask if there is a viewpoint that should
be included?
TIME: 15 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 18 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 18: SESSION 4, PART 2 CONTINUED
INSTRUCTIONS
Continue to read and discuss the
viewpoints.
TIME: 15 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 19 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 19: SESSION 4, PART 3
INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-work: Program organizers should
provide the fact sheet on what is happening
in your community.
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process: Discussion
• Look over the fact sheet about your
community
Debrief:
• What surprise you? Makes you hopeful?
Worries you?
• How do your local challenges compare
to the national challenges looked at in
Session 3
Note: See next slide on making and using a fact sheet
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 20 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 20: SESSION 4, PART 3 CONTINUED
INSTRUCTIONS
Note: Fact sheet is referred to in previous
slide #19. See page 41 in guide
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 21 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 21: SESSION 5, PART 2
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process: Evaluate how your community is
doing. Do all people get a fair chance to
succeed? Do all people from all racial and
ethnic groups have equal access to
services?
• To maximize time each participant
can fill out a report card using the
grading system. (This could be done
as a group facilitated or individually)
• Facilitator should clarify with group the
parameters of the community they are
evaluating (such as a particular
neighborhood or city as whole)
• Each person’s individual grades will be
posted on the newsprint report card. This can be done as a group or each person can
fill in their own grades on the newsprint
• Once filled in, ask everyone to choose several categories to discuss as a group
Debrief:
• Facilitator reads each statement on report card and have group look at the grades
• Where is there agreement and where does group differ?
• Discuss how decisions were made on what grade to give?
• On second newsprint fill in what successes group sees from report card
• List what challenges need to be addressed? Identify one or two
TIME: 30 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE, REPORT CARD,
NEWSPRINT
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 22 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 22: SESSION 5, PART 3
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process: Thanking about the challenges
identified in the report card
• Read aloud the 7 approaches
Debrief: to address the challenges
identified in the report card
• Have any of the approaches been
tried to address challenges? If so
what happened
• Are there any other approaches you
can think of?
• Which approaches address racism in
our institutions?
• Which approaches won’t work? Why?
TIME: 15 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 23 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 23: SESSION 5, PART 3 CONTINUED
INSTRUCTIONS
Note: approaches used against the challenges
identified from the Report Card
TIME: 15 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 24 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 24: SESSION 5, PART 4
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process: “Ten years from now, I hope my
community will be
_________________________.”
• Ask participants as they imagine the
future to share their words selected
from list or from own thoughts to fill
in the blank
• Facilitator chart words on newsprint
Debrief:
• What do you hope might be different
from the way things are today?
• What do you hope will be the same?
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE, NEWSPRINT,
MARKERS
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 25 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 25: SESSION 6
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people
Process:
• Moving to action, what are the most
important issues, themes or ideas
that have been discussed during the
dialogue?
• Working together to come up with
ideas about how to improve race
relations and reduce gaps among
people from different backgrounds.
• What can we do on our own, in groups
and as a whole community to make our
community better?
Debrief: next slide
TIME: 15 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE, NEWSPRINT,
MARKERS
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 26 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 26: SESSION 6 CONTINUED
INSTRUCTIONS
Read this list of sample action ideas before
coming up with your own ideas.
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 27 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 27: ACTION IDEAS
INSTRUCTIONS
Process:
• Brainstorm as a way for groups to
come up with lots of ideas
• A way to creatively come up with
many different ideas in a short
amount of time
• Facilitator, remember all ideas are
OK. Participants want to see ideas
captured as they shared them
• No judgment of ideas
• Facilitator writes down every idea
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 28 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 28: LISTING OUR COMMUNITY STRENGTHS
INSTRUCTIONS
Help group identify assets in people, places
or organizations. Chart on newsprint.
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 29 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 29: SETTING PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
INSTRUCTIONS
Walk through the step by step process to
prioritize action ideas.
TIME: 5 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 30 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 30: ACTION IDEAS REPORT
INSTRUCTIONS
Use this document to bring forward action
ideas as a group.
This report will be used at the action forum.
It may be turned into the organizing group
to prepare for the action forum.
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 31 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 31: THE ACTION FORUM
INSTRUCTIONS
Setup: Small Group Circles – 6-8 people or
large group presentation
Process:
Walk thru preparing for Action Forum
Debrief: Q&A Session
TIME: 10 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE
HANDOUTS: NONE
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 32 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 32: OUR GOAL
INSTRUCTIONS
Ultimately, our goal is not only to support
the efforts of our community change
partners in the specific issue they are
addressing, it is to change the narrative of
the story!
Coming Together for Racial Understanding: Training Guide
PAGE 33 OF 33 EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY
SLIDE 33: ORGANIZING SIMULATION
INSTRUCTIONS
Process:
One Facilitator will take the Coordinators
out of the room to give each their
descriptor sheets and coach each on their
role in simulation.
2nd Facilitator will give instruction to the
participants and have assistants to pass out a
role description to each participant. Allow
participants enough time to read their role
description. Share that everyone is at a
community gathering, so they should mingle and
network in their role.
Debrief:
When time is called, each Coordinator will stand at the front of the room. Facilitator will ask
participants who were recruited by the coordinator will come and stand behind the
coordinator.
1. Question to Facilitators: How easy was it to recruit community members? What
was most challenging?
2. Question to Participants: Were you recruited? What assets did you have to offer
that were or were not tapped into?
TIME: 45 MINUTES
SUPPLIES: FACING RACISM IN A DIVERSE
NATION DISCUSSION GUIDE, INSTRUCTIONS
FOR COORDINATORS, ROLE DESCRIPTIONS
HANDOUTS: NONE