Page 332 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

“I think people came forth with being more personal with their stories than they would

have been otherwise, because I really think that they were trying to support each other

because they could feel the tension in the room. So yeah, I do think that it was interesting

to watch how the group managed the tension because I think it was done in a very caring

and healthy way.” (F02FW)

“I think because I had been engaged in a dyad with him, what I said brought him back to

our conversation. He got feedback from multiple people in the room that allowed him to

hear the experiences of others. So, I think there were a lot of people supporting that process

to try to work through the tension.” (F02FW)

“The tension that was created…this was not new information for the African American

participants in the room. It was new information for the folks who identified as White in

the room. So I think what happened was it generated more questions and more dialogue

about what could be different in the community and how, if I recall correctly, it took the

discussion to a shared responsibility in the group about what is happening. Because folks

were saying, ‘If this is happening what are we doing about contacting business owners and

other people in our community’.” (F02FW)

“Everybody has a different lens with which they are looking at the current issue. I think

that there were a lot of ‘Ah hah’ moments for people, especially for White folks that

attended in terms of looking at some of the current realities in listening to some of the

Black citizens of their community.” (F05FAA)

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