Attending to Dynamics of Power When Facilitating Cross-Racial Conversations

Have you ever led or participated in a cross-racial conversation and left unsatisfied, numb, hurt, angry, or confused? If dynamics of power are not tended to with care, interracial conversations, whether one-to-one, in a meeting, or in a community gathering, can go awry. This course, co-facilitated by a Black Latina and a White woman, will introduce you to 1) what to pay attention to, and 2) what facilitation skills are needed to guide the conversation to create more equitable outcomes. There are historic, cultural, and systemic dynamics of power that are at play in interracial conversations. We need racially conscious, culturally relevant skills to employ in order to ensure sustainable conversations that achieve equitable participation and equitable outcomes. The facilitators will offer the participants a mix of their lived experience facilitating cross-racial conversation as well as insightful frameworks and resources on racial identity and antiracism in order to help the participants build their capacity to transform cross-racial conversations at all levels.

By the end of the course learners will:

• Cultivate an understanding of racial identity development
• Identify aspects of power in cross-racial relationship
• Explore core components of successful cross-racial relationship
• Cultivate core facilitation skills to navigate power in cross-racial conversations

Course Description: This 4-week course will include 2 interactive online sessions:

• September 17th at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/ 11 am MT/ 10 am PT.
• October 1st at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/ 11 am MT/ 10 am PT.

Please make every effort to ensure that you are able to attend these NN meetings before enrolling in the course. If this is not possible, archived recordings will be made available.

In addition to the scheduled sessions, the instructor will provide resources and guidance that will help you build a foundational understanding of this important topic. During the course, you will participate in discussion forums, with an opportunity to share your experiences and questions, alongside fellow learners. Through assignments, you will apply the concepts to your own library and community.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2 to 2.5 hours per week, for a total of 7.5 course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for activities and discussions. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. However, it is recommended that you complete each week's assignments within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for anyone looking to improve their cross-racial relationship skills, particularly for those who participate in cross-racial conversations, large and small.

Do you work in a rural or tribal library? If so, you may be eligible for a course fee waiver for this course. This Infopeople course has up to five no-cost seats allocated for rural or tribal libraries. Fill out a fee waiver request, and if a no-cost seat is available you will be notified via email.

Keywords: communication, interpersonal skills, training skills

• Week 1: Racial Identity Development (September 10-16)
  • Participants will learn key racial identity frameworks
  • Participants will explore their own racial identity
• Week 2: Race & Power Dynamics (September 17-23)
  • Participants will learn the lens of systemic oppression
  • Participants will explore the dynamics of power and race in conversation
• Week 3: Cross-Racial Relationship (September 24-30)
  • Participants will explore how to build successful cross-racial relationships
  • Participants will examine the role race and racism play in trust, language, and a shared sense of struggle in cross-racial relationship
• Week 4: Facilitation (October 1st - October 7)
  • Participants will explore the importance of conversation guidelines
  • Participants will learn tenets of mindful listening