This year, Social Justice Education (SJE) is once again accepting sign-ups for its Sustained Dialogue program. Formed in 2013 in response to racist incidents in the Northwestern community, Sustained Dialogue pairs groups of ten to twelve students with experienced peer leaders for weekly 90-minute sessions that encourage dialogue across lines of difference with the ultimate goal of dismantling oppression and racism on campus. Now entering its fifth year at Northwestern, Sustained Dialogue is seeking participants for this upcoming winter quarter.
Moderated by past Sustained Dialogue participants, these groups aim to provide a safe yet challenging space to navigate difficult conversations with fellow students with different identities and experiences. Students leave their Sustained Dialogue sessions with both a better understanding of themselves and a greater sense of awareness about their own experiences of power, privilege, and oppression. “There is a way to empathetically understand the intersection of identities, experiences, and privileges,” says one student moderator. “There is a way to validate how a person feels but also interrogate why someone feels that way.”
Sign-ups for this years Sustained Dialogue will be open through January 2. Students of all years and backgrounds are welcome to participate. For more information and to sign up to participate, visit the Sustained Dialogue website!