Page 318 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

enough time for everyone who wanted to talk get their turn to contribute their ideas in the CC

dialogue process.

Consequences and Impacts

There is an aspect of engagement fulfilling the Metasphere cosmos where connectivity and

enlivened discussion of the issues at hand caused participants to deeply consider what others were

saying. Truly being present to another person and listening leads to learning. The dialogue process

prompted personal stories and elicited a range of emotions. The exchanges were sometimes private

and heartfelt and invited both validation and confrontation among members seated around the

circle. The stories shared by dialogue participants were filled with emotion that resonated in the

voice, on the face, and in the body language of the storyteller and permitted attendees to hear about

incidents of racism and discrimination that happened within their community and in their lifetime.

The dialogue venues created a safe environment and allowed participants to recall events of racism

and discriminatory practices and actions in ways that were authentic and spiked with emotion.

Emotions can be the vehicle that promote movement, connect individuals, or hold us in place;

emotions are vehicles for transformation (Ahmed, 2004).

For some, the outcome of attending one or more dialogue sessions had a definite affect

noticeable by their feedback, body language and facial expressions. Many comments confirmed

participants having felt a healing of sorts that lasted beyond the dialogue sessions. Respondents

reported reflecting on the personal stories in the days and weeks following the earlier CCs and as

a result forming new insights or experiencing shifts in previously held perspective. Comments

related to their reflections, shifts, and changes regarding what they heard at the dialogue included:

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