The 96-page manual, Transforming Historical Harms by David Anderson Hooker and Amy Potter Czajkowski, was uploaded October 2013 on Coming to the Table‘s site. The manual gives a holistic framework to address historical injustices, in a way that engages all participants, and identifies the aftermath and legacies of [generational] trauma. This manual was developed by Coming to the Table and has been a collective effort of Eastern Mennonite University’s (EMU) Center for Justice & Peacebuilding (CJP) and their Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) program. From the […] (continue)

Separate and Unequal in 1963: How Can We Create a Fair Society?, is a 22-page historical issue guide developed in 2014 by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, Alabama Public Television (APT), and additional partners for use in a classroom setting. Download the Issue Guide PDF here. In Separate and Unequal in 1963, students are asked to place themselves in 1963 Birmingham, Alabama to deliberate together through the difficult choices faced by those working to address segregation and inequality. Additionally, students are encouraged to […] (continue)

The 42-page discussion guide, Protecting Communities Serving the Public (2000), from Everyday Democracy, is designed into five session to help build trust and respect between residents and police officers to co-create safer communities together. The guide reviews what the community-wide study circle program is, and each of the five sessions: Session 1- Starting out study circle: sharing our experiences Session 2- What’s the nature of the problem? Session 3- What do we expect from each other? Session 4- How can we make progress? Session 5- Committing to change: […] (continue)

Crime & Punishment: Imagining a Safer Future for All  is the newest discussion guide published by the Interactivity Foundation (IF). This booklet describes five contrasting policy possibilities or frameworks for addressing concerns over the future of our criminal justice system. These concerns include both the racial inequity and the many costs of our policies of mass incarceration, the “War on Drugs”, and general get-tough-on-crime policies. (continue)

One of the National Issues Forums Institute’s issue guides, How Can We Be Fair? The Future of Affirmative Action outlines this public issue and several choices or approaches to addressing the issue. National Issues Forums do not advocate a specific solution or point of view, but provide citizens the opportunity to consider a broad range of choices, weigh the pros and cons of those options, and meet with each other in a public dialogue to identify the concerns they hold in common. From the issue […] (continue)

One of the National Issues Forums Institute’s issue guides, Racial and Ethnic Tensions: What Should We Do? outlines this public issue and several choices or approaches to addressing the issue. National Issues Forums do not advocate a specific solution or point of view, but provide citizens the opportunity to consider a broad range of choices, weigh the pros and cons of those options, and meet with each other in a public dialogue to identify the concerns they hold in common. From the issue guide description… […] (continue)

The 58-page discussion guide, Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation was originally published in 1992 from Everyday Democracy and has been used in thousands of dialogue-to-change programs. Below is an excerpt and link to the 2008 revised edition, which is available in both English and Spanish. This six-session discussion guide helps all kinds of people take part in meaningful dialogue to examine gaps among racial and ethnic groups and create institutional and  policy change, and includes a supplementary guide for affinity-group dialogue. The guide is endorsed by a wide […] (continue)

The Community Relations Service assists communities with crisis management and violence reduction. Their user-friendly Community Dialogue Guide includes sections on the characteristics of community dialogues on race, steps in organizing a dialogue, the role of the dialogue leader, a sample small group dialogue, and more. (continue)

This publication offers an assortment of tools that can be used to bring people together and help channel intergroup conflict in productive directions. The techniques presented range from proactive initiatives to incident-specific responses. Emphasis is given to collaborative problem solving, but the authors discuss such topics as the role of the community leader in a conflict situation, grassroots initiatives, and educational programs. (continue)

Launched in November 2002, the Study Circles Resource Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center's "Mix It Up" campaign helps young people identify, question and cross social boundaries in their schools and communities. Hundreds of thousands of students in thousands of schools have taken the challenge to sit with someone new during Mix It Up At Lunch Day. Students and teachers are welcome to order the free Mix It Up handbook, Reaching Across Boundaries: Talk to Create Change. (continue)