Powerful Conversations on Race has sunset.

Powerful Conversations on Race (PCR) was a monthly community dialogue series launched by Spirit & Place in 2017 as the organization’s first major Civic Reflection Dialogue (CRD) initiative. Rooted in carefully curated arts- and humanities-based materials—including readings, poetry, visual art, music, and short videos—PCR created a space for meaningful, often uncomfortable conversations about race, racism, and their ongoing impact in the United States. These sessions were not lectures or book clubs but participatory, community-centered dialogues facilitated by trained CRD practitioners who guide discussion, deepen reflection, and support honest examination of personal and collective beliefs.

Over eight years, PCR engaged an estimated 1,500–1,700 participants and became a model for scalable, high-quality civic dialogue. Between 2017 and 2021, Spirit & Place recruited and trained 54 community facilitators from sectors including higher education, nonprofits, government, PreK–12 education, and the arts. Facilitators received free CRD certification with the expectation of co-leading at least two sessions, creating a distributed leadership network that allowed the series to flourish while strengthening community capacity. Many facilitators went on to use CRD techniques in workplaces, classrooms, and civic settings, extending PCR’s impact far beyond individual sessions.

The PCR model has been shared nationally and internationally at conferences such as the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement (2021), the National Humanities Conference (2020), and Imagining America (2019 & 2020). Following these presentations, former Community Engagement Director LaShawnda Crowe Storm—whose vision and leadership were instrumental in launching PCR—was invited to serve as a fellow with Imagining America’s Assessing the Practices of Public Scholarship initiative. Participant feedback across the program’s full run consistently highlighted increased empathy, deeper self-understanding, and strengthened skills for communicating across differences.

Spirit & Place extends deep gratitude to the many community partners and funders who made PCR possible, as well as to the dedicated facilitators and participants who helped build a vibrant, courageous space for conversation and connection.