Center for Social Justice Dialogue: Building Bridges Across Difference: A Dialogue for Every Day

Overall Series Description:

The Building Bridges Across Difference: A Dialogue for Every Day series equips faculty, staff, and students with practical tools to foster connection and understanding across differences in today’s polarized climate. Grounded in the Center for Social Justice Dialogue's commitment to shared power and inclusive practices, this series provides strategies to build trust, navigate challenging and emotionally charged moments, and create environments that encourage community and mutual respect. By embracing intergroup dialogue practices daily, participants will enhance their ability to inspire critical self-reflection, cultural storytelling, generous listening, and loving accountability.

Both sessions take place from 11:30am - 1:30pm and will be held in ITE 237. Bring your own lunch!

If you have accessibility needs, please email csjdialogue@umbc.edu.

Session Descriptions:

1. Exploring Your Role in Social Change • 3/25

RSVP: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csjd/events/140997
This session focuses on identifying entry points into social change and allyship work. Participants will explore tools and practices that help them “see” themselves as part of a larger ecosystem of social change. Protests, voting, and other more obvious forms of advocacy are great, but they are not the only way. This session will help participants link their existing skills and passions to a wide array of practices and approaches to social change and allyship.

2. Loving Accountability: Practicing Grace and Forgiveness • 4/29

RSVP: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csjd/events/140998
In this session, participants will explore loving accountability, a competency for dialogic community building, which is about centering humanity and prioritizing relationships as we call in and redress harm. This session will emphasize the importance of grace and forgiveness in the accountability process, drawing on the work of Kazu Haga and other works rooted in Kingian nonviolence. Participants will have the opportunity to practice tools connected to loving accountability like calling in harm and offering apologies.

This series is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.