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way. The research presented in this dissertation studied the process of everyday people using civic

dialogue to address the difficult issue of race and racism and improve the personal and collective

quality of life for citizens and residents of the area). The guiding question and original intent of

the research sought to analyze and explore the aware experience of dialogue participants and

facilitators and their encounters with tensions and disagreements as it surfaced in the process of

various Community Conversation settings. The findings from the research supports the literature

relative to the benefits of sustained civic dialogue (Saunders, 2011, 2005, 2001) and furthers the

scholarly literature of civic and public dialogue by contributing qualitative data and analysis

focusing on the aware experience of civic dialogue participants and facilitators. The working

through process (Yankelovich, 2001) was an essential component as dialogue attendees developed

the capacity to begin the process of public judgment and consider collective action. Use of civic

dialogue and working through processes are representative of locally based, citizen driven

leadership with a bottom up orientation.

In “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Paulo Freire (2018) writes “Dialogue with the people

is seen as radically necessary to every authentic revolution. This is what makes it a revolution, as

distinguished from a military coup. One does not expect dialogue from a coup—only deceit (in

order to achieve "legitimacy") or force (in order to repress). Sooner or later, a true revolution must

initiate a courageous dialogue with the people. Its very legitimacy lies in that dialogue.” (p 128)

Freire emphasized, “The earlier dialogue begins, the more truly revolutionary will the

movement be. The dialogue which is radically necessary to revolution corresponds to another

radical need: that of women and men as beings who cannot be truly human apart from

communication, for they are essentially communicative creatures. To impede communication is to

reduce men to the status of "things"—and this is a job for oppressors, not for revolutionaries.”

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