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after effects of having our dignity violated – the shame and suffering that remain – affect the

quality of our lives” (Hicks, 2011, p. 20). The desire for dignity is universal and powerful. When

dignity is violated, the response is likely to involve aggression, even violence, hatred, and

vengeance. On the other hand, as observed within the Community Conversation Metasphere when

people treat one another with dignity, its apparent they become more connected and are able to

create more meaningful relationships. Hicks research shows that by choosing dignity as a way of

life, we open the way to greater peace within ourselves and to a more humane world for all. Hicks’

model identifies ten essential elements of dignity along with primary violations of dignity. These

elements were used in Chapter IV as criteria for assessing the existence of dignity in participant

interactions during the dialogues that started off on the implicit bias theme to include race issues.

Conclusion

Considered together, each of the preceding propositions lends insight to the shifts in

perspective that can result when communities of people are committed to exploring issues of race

and implicit bias convened using the Community Conversations organic model. The four

theoretical stances, “creating space to move from tension to healing; heart stories, hurt stories

(hearing and understanding differently); and sustaining the conversation, bridging the divide”

illustrate the depth and complexity of Community Conversation exchanges and the power of face-

to-face gatherings for tackling, in a constructive way, implicit bias, racial and ethnic divisions.

The advances made from the Community Conversations focused on a relatable social issue

topic acknowledge that civic engagement gatherings for deliberative dialogue, when sustained for

as few as two or three sessions, promotes relationship building, healing though disclosure,

reflection, and transformation. More importantly, the act of civic and deliberative dialogue fostered

opportunities for ‘exemplication’ or leader-as-exemplified, a form of community-based leadership

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