Racial Equity Dialogues

“When we launched our Resilient Tulsa Strategy, we knew we would continue building a community of Tulsans who want to see our city become a place of opportunity for everyone. These Equity Dialogues are a part of that work. It is our hope Tulsans of all backgrounds can come together, learn from one other, and walk away with a better understanding of where we need to go as a city. I encourage as many Tulsans as possible to sign up for these dialogues.”

~ Mayor G.T. Bynum

Equity Dialogues
The City of Tulsa hosts Equity Dialogues to help bring Tulsans together to talk about inequities in a safe/brave space where everyone can learn from one another. Dialogues are part of the process of normalizing conversations about racial equity and are part of our city’s resilience strategy.

Upcoming Dialogues
MORE regularly hosts dialogues during the National Day of Racial Healing (the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) and throughout the year. 

Interested in being a dialogue facilitator?
Our office also hosts free trainings for Tulsans to be able to facilitate dialogues. A facilitator ensures a safe and productive environment, helps participants consider different perspectives, and supports group process. Facilitators do not need to be an expert on any issue in Tulsa, just eager to learn how to facilitate a conversation. Facilitators who complete the training will receive a certificate of completion from OSU.

Facilitators can expect to commit to:

• Attend a free 8-hour training.
• Co-facilitate a 90-minute Equity Dialogue at a later date.
• Use the skills learned beyond the dialogues.

If you are interested in participating in a dialogue or being a facilitator please email resilient@cityoftulsa.org  

Background
In 2018, the City of Tulsa hosted 27 dialogues of eight-to-10 people each to discuss issues of race, unity, and understanding among groups. The purpose of the dialogues was to begin to normalize conversations about race and racism among a broader group of Tulsans. The dialogues were attended by more than 200 Tulsans who pre-registered and then were assigned to dinner tables with diverse identities and perspectives. Participants expressed the desire to continue meeting and facilitators/dinner hosts expressed a desire for more training on how to facilitate conversations about race and racism.

Alignment With Other Citywide Efforts
This effort will align with other efforts in Tulsa to bring training on racial equity and anti-racism; link participants to forums and spaces that address diversity, equity, and inclusion; and amplify the many grassroots efforts taking place to bring Tulsans together through community dialogue.

Measuring Impact
Dialogue outcomes include increased social cohesion, increased trust in government, new partnerships formed, increase knowledge of levels of racism. The City has plans to conduct a qualitative analysis of the impact of the dialogues through in-depth interviews with participants, focus groups, surveys and other methods.