Racism Re-examined: Is it over or not?

What is your personal view of racism? Do you think racism still exists, or is it over? If you were to have a meaningful conversation about racism today, how would you do it? How would you ensure that it is informative and respectful?

Dr. David Campt, our presenter for this workshop, has this advice for such conversations, “People don’t like being corrected, but they don’t mind learning. Thus, your goal is to frame your ideas as additive to their sense of the world, instead of obliterating their point of view.”

This workshop introduces the ABC System, a core dialogue model with a track record for improving the quality of conversations about issues related to identity, race, and the struggle for inclusion. The ABC System aligns very well with the principles of the Better Arguments Framework, which has been the basis of the NW Diversity Learning Series workshops this year.

Participants will explore how insights from neurology, social psychology, persuasion science, conflict resolution, and ancient wisdom can be distilled into practical principles for dialogues about issues related to racism, inclusion, unfairness, and belonging. Drilling down, we will discover how to leverage widely accepted findings to more effectively navigate conversations related to identity-based unfairness and institutional responses to systemic inequity.

Participants will have the opportunity to practice the most important tactics of the ABC System:

1. Shift the basis of conversations from arguments about concepts and facts to sharing personal experiences and values
2. Create a sense of similarity/agreement BEFORE highlighting dissimilarity/disagreement
3. Strategically deploy authentic stories that illustrate one’s own connection to racialized unfairness, and pivot from storytelling to inviting the other person to deeper reflection

Participants will leave this workshop with sharpened perspectives on dialogue frameworks, a deeper understanding of the ABC System, and new tools to apply to difficult conversations.

Learning Objectives:

• Summarize key findings from science, communications, and ancient wisdom that inform persuasion and dialogue principles
• Distinguish exchanges based on differences of opinion versus differences of experience
• Understand the tactics of the ABC System (Agreements Before Challenge)
• Gain skill in applying the ABC System to conversations about racism