healing divides
starts with conversation.
Rapid Response Work
A disturbing number of people suggest the upcoming election cannot be trusted. Some even believe violence would be justified if the election doesn’t go the way they want. The U.S. is the oldest democratic republic in the world, but democracy can’t function when we are unable to talk through our differences. If the American experiment is to survive, we must begin the work of domestic peace building.
The motto of Living Room Conversations is respect, relate, connect. We know that in the pursuit of racial equity, individual conversations are not the final stop in the journey. Conversations can help us better understand individual bias and racism, as well as consider how racism is part of our systems and institutions. We have created this resource page in response to increased demand and desire to have conversations about race.
What is a Living Room Conversation?
A Living Room Conversation is a simple way to heal divides.
It is a conversational model developed by dialogue experts in order to facilitate connection between people despite their differences, and even identify areas of common ground and shared understanding.
Within this model, we have developed over 100 conversation guides on all sorts of topics that can otherwise be tense to talk about with friends, strangers, and even loved ones of differing backgrounds and political persuasions.
You can explore all of our current topics (we’re developing new ones all the time) and even join an upcoming online conversation event to experience it for yourself!
what we're up to
Trending Topics
These are a collection of resources and conversations to help you start a conversation about race and equity in your community.
In the past few months, our experience of the coronavirus has shifted from “What’s that?” to “What is this going to mean for my life?” The rapidly-spreading virus is touching all aspects of our personal and community life. Our health, civic, social, work, academic, faith and financial systems are struggling to cope with uncertainty and the need for rapid readjustment. We are physically distancing ourselves from each other to prevent being infected or spreading the infection. As we move forward in this changing environment, it can be helpful to share our experiences and to consider the potential outcomes from our shared national challenge.
Programs
A joint nonprofit collaboration between Living Room Conversations and AllSides.com, AllSides for Schools helps educators teach essential skills in critical thinking, collaboration, listening and respectful discourse, media literacy and social-emotional learning.
Our unique focus on building relationships and revealing multiple viewpoints across the political spectrum avoids the potential problems with bias and disrespecting individual beliefs.
Explore the work of Living Room Conversations with communities of faith across the nation.
Videos
Forgiveness Living Room Conversations Highlights
This Living Room Conversation about Forgiveness was inspired by The
Living Room Conversations and MADA on Glenn Beck discuss Coronavirus Conversations
The founders of Make America Dinner Again and Living Room
Pastor Uses Living Room Conversations to keep his Community Connected Safely
Learn how Pastor Pedro Silva is using Living Room Conversations
Upcoming Events
American Creed
Polarization
Being White in the Anti-Racism Movement
Press
How to Meet New People, Even at a Distance
Online and offline platforms are helping strangers form social connections, which are crucial for our health, especially in a pandemic. A retired teacher,
Election 2020: 11 Ways to Engage Students From Now Until November
Though election news will dominate the headlines all summer, the global pandemic has thrown into question everything from how the candidates will campaign
What a Living Room Conversation looks like
Two conversation hosts with different viewpoints each invite one or two others to join together for structured conversation on a specific topic. (We have a lot of structured topic guides to choose from, or you can create your own).
The Conversation Agreements and structure help assure a good experience and allow participants to get to know each other.
Living Room Conversations can happen anywhere: our homes, coffee shops, conference spaces, churches, and more and more online via video chat.
What People Are Saying
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Nourishing Community During A Pandemic
Rainer Marie Rilke, in his book “Letters to a Young Poet,” writes about the notion of “living the questions.” When we are confronted with questions
The Virtuous Cycle: Our Strength Is In Our Vulnerability
The search for meaning, rather than the pursuit of personal happiness, maintains researcher Emily Esfahani Smith in The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World
Connection in the time of Polarization: Election 2020
Anxiety? Anger? Hope? Despondency? …Possibility? Conflicting emotions are swirling through our bodies—and our body politic—as we stare down the calendar towards November 3. 2020 has