This project is affiliated with the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, the Fetzer Institute, and the Kellogg Foundation, and collaborates closely with the Mississippi Truth Project.
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table,
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table
one of these days, Hallelujah!
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table,
I'm gonna sit at the welcome table
one of these days.
In 2005, a group of citizens from diverse faith and social communities came together to explore what Mississippi might look like if it were a social justice state. What might be the conversations and actions we would undertake to make Mississippi a better place for everyone specifically through overcoming racism?
The Mississippi Coalition for Racial Justice, as the group became known, decided to promote educational dialogue in communities that would lead toward achieving justice across the state. We believe that change comes through dialogue and relationship building, followed by effective community action.
In June 2006, the group kicked off a year of dialogue around the state with a gathering of over 300 citizens at the state capitol. Dialogue projects began in each of the four congressional districts over the next year, but one lesson emerged: there are a number of Mississippians who want to address issues of race and who understand the obstacles that race has placed before their communities' development. Many, however, don't know where to begin and are afraid to do the wrong thing and so they don't act. So, while there is much interest in engaging in dialogue (and moving toward substantive action), there is a great need to build the capacity of citizens to engage in such dialogue effectively.
Thus, with support from the Fetzer Institute and the Kellogg Foundation, we initiated an era of dialogue on race, beginning with a pilot training program in Fall 2008, and continuing with a 12-18 month statewide training program started in Fall 2009.
We stand on the cusp of change, which could be positive or negative. Leadership will make the difference. We can be better together than we were apart. We can build a beloved South.
Beginning in January 2010, the Welcome Table will move into five Mississippi communities: Oxford, Greenwood, Philadelphia, McComb, and the Gulf Coast. Local community leaders from each community will participate in a 2 1/2 day retreat, followed by dialogue and action in each community over the course of the next year, led by local leaders with support from the facilitation team.
Retreats will take place from January 2010 through June 2010. Over the fall, the facilitation team will develop a training for discussion leaders from across the state. That training will be held in the Spring 2011. A final harvesting meeting, with representatives from the five local communities as well as the planning team, will meet to discern lessons from this phase as well as to suggest next steps for a 10-year initiative.
For more information, contact us.