Page 271 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

I have extended the methodology section to explain more closely how my research was

done. In wrapping up my research I primarily looked at the Milwaukee Community Conversations

on the Red/Blue political party divide as a second case-study to contrast the first one related to the

series on ‘Implicit Bias’ that were held in Albany 2016, where four Community Conversations

(three of which were actual group dialogues) on Implicit Bias occurred in four different locations

in the city. The intent of having each of the meetings at different locations in Albany was to attract

more people from different parts of the city, thereby increasing the amount of diversity in the

dialogue discussion. Due to local input or sponsor demand, each series of the four Albany

Community Conversations generally started in the same way but were convened using a slightly

different format. I have created a chart or table illustration that includes the logistical and content

differences between those and the two different city dialogue sessions.

There was an enthusiastic response to the recent dialogues held in Milwaukee. The

Millennial Action Project (MAP) sponsors the “Across the Red & Blue Divide” dialogue series

th
and the September 6 2018 event (last week) theme was “Reforming Criminal Justice”. This was
a well promoted event with the local NPR radio station and city newspapers giving early attention

to it. A panel presentation moderated by WUWM's talk radio host Mitch Teich and Milwaukee

Journal Sentinel's local reporter Erin Richards moderated the opening panel which was recorded

for later broadcast, it was then followed by community conversation circles facilitated by the

Zeidler Center for Public Discussion. The panelists on stage included: Judge Jane Carroll Jerome

Dillard, State Director of EXPO Rep. Rob Hutton (R–District 13) Rep. David Bowen (D–District

10) ) The stage panel discussion went for about 20 minutes and then closed to start the dialogues.

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