The Race Card Project continues to have impact!
One of our members invited me to facilitate a dialogue about Michelle Norris’ Race Card Project. 
This dialogue could not have come at better time in our history. We as a society are again facing questions about race and the impact it has on so many aspects of our American life. Whether Ferguson, NYC, North Carolina or the Mall of America, the importance of these dialogues cannot be understated.
The Race Card Project was created by Michelle Norris 
to document and provide opportunities to discuss one of the most important but controversial issues facing America today – Race. It creates an opportunity for our members to discuss, in a safe space, issues that impact the workplace and ultimately retention.
Michelle Norris in her book, The Grace of Silence, speaks to her experiences and her families experiences as a Black family in Minnesota. The book hit home with me and many others in the room because her experiences were here in Minnesota but the cards come from across the country.
In a facilitated dialogue we read from the Race Cards six letter statements about Race in America and then shared our thoughts about what had been said. We discussed assumptions that were made about the authors of the statements; we discussed implicit bias, gender bias and the role of white men in the diversity and inclusion space. We also talked about class and the assumptions we make based on what class we belonged to. This type of dialogue opens the door to further conversations on race and implicit bias. It provides time for reflection on just what we mean when we say “those people” because everyone has their own people!
The most important aspect of this opportunity was to get to know someone outside your immediate circle. We had staff, attorneys and administrators sitting at the same table. I cannot tell you how important this is to building an inclusive environment.
Please visit her website CLICK HERE and think about how you might use the tool! Twin Cities Diversity in Practice would love to help you create a safe space to dialogue about race!
