Welcome to the non-profit community resource of Race Conscious Dialogues! Whether you are interested in affinity group work, seeking to supplement DEI conversations in your workplace, or looking for a place to start a personal journey of learning and reflection, we offer a variety of small group cohorts held both in person in Oak Park, IL and virtually on Zoom.

RENDEZVOUS & LOGO DEBUT

We had a wonderful evening of joy, connection and delicious food as we debuted our new logo! Thank you to Laura Pulido for her fabulous logo and website designs and to Sydney Jackson for coordinating the event. Thank you to our sponsors The Blackberry Collection, Your Passion 1st, Final Finish Properties and Nova Collective, and several donor advised funds as well. We feel grateful to have gathered this time of year, alongside the many traditions that celebrate warmth and light. Please consider a donation to Race Conscious Dialogues as part of these efforts to raise year-end funds.

**Dinner was Columbian and Venezuelan cuisine prepared by some of Oak Park's newest neighbors (arroz, frijoles, plantains, arepas and pollo asado) plus the famous buffalo cauliflower from Chicago Style Vegan! And more of our favorites like Schweet Cheesecake, Funkytown Brewery, Uncle Nearest and more.

Upcoming Sessions

*WINTER 2024* COHORTS

FOUNDATIONAL COURSE on WHITENESS & ANTI-RACISM

VIRTUAL: Thursdays 9AM-12PM: January 25TH - February 15TH

IN-PERSON: Sundays 1PM-4PM: January 28TH - March 10TH in Oak Park, IL

INTRO TO ABOLITION

We anticipate this course will run again this winter as well, please check back for dates! This is open to persons of all backgrounds and identities (prior participation in the foundational RCD course is appropriate for white-bodied persons).

Whiteness & Anti-Racism

The primary focus of our organization is working with white-bodied persons in the context of white affinity groups, in a four-part workshop series. Topics include whiteness, socialization, social identity, dominant narratives, privilege, racism interruption, solidarity, systems of oppression and more. It is important to attend all 4 sessions.

The Journey Together

The Journey Together is a three-day, two-night collective journey for post Race Conscious Dialogues and/or RGW trained participants that is designed to move us beyond foundational race conversations, challenge us to think about how we are complicit in racial injustices that exist today, and what we can do to embody justice and build beloved community across dividing lines in our own context. 

BIPOC affinity groups

We periodically offer courses for people of the global majority with lived experience of racism in the United States. Topics explored are sharing our narratives, social identity, assimilation and white dominant culture, colorism, anti-Black racism in communities of color, solidarity, systems of oppression and more. It is important to attend all 5 sessions.

Additional Resources

Here are some resources to check out before, during and after participation in the workshops.

In particular, we recommend the podcast series “Seeing White” .

Non-profit Cohorts

If you are interested in a cohort for your non-profit organization, REACH OUT HERE

Purpose

The Race Conscious Dialogues are designed to deepen awareness of identity, privilege, positionality to power and more, then integrate learning with everyday life. The foundational series consists of 4 sessions, 3 hours each, and are held both in-person and online. Each session is preceded with light readings to be done at home and the curriculum was developed in partnership with the Nova Collective.

All discussions, readings and activities are framed around unpacking and understanding Whiteness - our own socialization, the historical and current harm being caused by Whiteness and guided discovery of what we can do to disrupt racism and dismantle White supremacy. This personal work informs authentic solidarity and cannot be 'skipped' as we push to eradicate interpersonal and systemic racism.

Together, we are creating a brave and supportive space to show up through honest conversation. 

Board of Directors

  • Reesheda N. Graham Washington

    Board Chair

  • Wilonda Cannon

  • Faith Cole

  • Kina Collins

  • Samina Hadi-Tabassum

  • Lotus Lindez

  • Anne McNamee-Keels

  • Yoko Terretta

Emeritus Board Members

  • Brynne Hovde

  • Tiffany Hudson

  • Lau Torres

The Team

  • Sydney Jackson

  • Dot Lambshead Roche